Kaufland’s supermarket in Prospect is too big, poorly designed, council says.
A WEEK ago it failed in a $13.8m bid to buy a park in Adelaide’s north for a new store — now German supermarket giant Kaufland has been hit with more bad news.
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KAUFLAND’S proposed Prospect supermarket is far too big, poorly designed and out of step with the type of development envisaged for Churchill Rd, the local council says.
Prospect Council has raised concerns about several aspects of the German supermarket giant’s $35 million outlet planned for the corner of Churchill and Regency roads.
The assessment spells more bad news for the global retailer, which this month failed in its bid to buy a park in Wynn Vale for a new store.
The proposed development in Prospect would include a 6260sq m supermarket, two stores and a 400-space carpark on vacant land at the intersection’s southwestern corner.
The council’s planning panel last week agreed to write to the State Commission Assessment Panel, which will rule on the proposal, to express concerns about the project.
In a report to the council panel, Prospect development services manager Darren Starr said, while a supermarket was an appropriate use of the site, Kaufland’s proposal was “inconsistent” with local planning guidelines.
Mr Starr said the supermarket would have a floor space more than three times larger than the maximum recommended for shops in the area.
He said the positioning of the shopping complex, which would be set back 75m from Churchill Rd, conflicted with a requirement that new developments be “sited in proximity” to the main road.
Overall, the proposed supermarket was deemed to be at odds with the council’s vision for medium to high-density housing and small-scale businesses and local shops along the Churchill Rd stretch.
The adjacent land, next to Islington Railyard, will in the coming years be redeveloped with 120 townhouses and apartments as part of the so-called Prospect 1838 estate.
Kaufland Australia head of marketing Didem Brennan said the global retail chain would work with the “council to achieve the best possible outcome for … Prospect”.
Kaufland this month suffered a setback in its expansion into SA when Tea Tree Gully Council rejected its $13.8 million offer to a Wynn Vale reserve to build a store.
The retailer, which has 1230 stores worldwide, has supermarkets planned for the old Le Cornu warehouse on Anzac Highway and in Munno Parra.