Virginia main street works starting in June as shopping centre renovation is flagged
The shopping centre has sold with the buyers flagging major changes, now work is set to start on a facelift for the main street of this popular town.
North & North East
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A northern suburbs town in the midst of major change and development will try to replicate the leafy eastern-Adelaide suburbs during a $8.88m main street upgrade set to kick off this month.
The main street of Virginia will receive a facelift by way of the investment funded by the City of Playford, SA Power Networks and the state and federal governments.
About 500 metres of Old Port Wakefield Road will be subject to the revamp which includes the strip from Virginia Sports Oval to the intersection of Penfield and Sheedy roads – which includes the major shopping centre and pub.
Mayor Glenn Docherty said the upgrade would form part of the transformation of the area.
“We are building a street that people will want to visit and which the local community can be proud of,” he said.
“Virginia is in the heart of South Australia’s multimillion-dollar market garden industry and rightly deserves a main street to match.
“The project will lift the appearance of the area, support business and bring people together.”
Vietnamese eatery Miss Five, which sits on the street and has just undergone a renovation itself, is expected to be a beneficiary once the works are complete by mid-2023.
Manager Trang Nguyen said the announcement was exciting and was looking forward to seeing the street change.
“We’ve recently renovated the restaurant and with our upgrade as well it’ll be great and should bring a lot of people into town … it’s amazing,” she said.
Ms Nguyen said the eatery would look to expand further once the street upgrades were complete as it coped with booming business amid strong reception from locals and other travelling from out of town for their Vietnamese fare.
The Gawler Road entry to Virginia was set for a revitalisation while on street, disability and long vehicle parking would also form part of the upgrade.
More than 70 trees are expected to be planted as part of the facelift while wider paths and a new playground at Virginia Institute Park will make up the main amenity of the upgrade.
The commencement comes amid unprecedented investment into the area with the expansive 937 house Virginia Grove development continuing and property groups flagging regional areas like Virginia as the best place to invest.
Just two months ago the town’s shopping centre, which includes a Woolworths, was snapped up by property fund manager Parkstone for $22m.
Parkstone managing director Tim Wilkin at the time told The Advertiser the group was planning a “major renovation and repositioning” of the centre over the next 12 to 18 months.
Virginia’s population is amid a population boom with council projections predicting the population will grow to about 6000 people over the next 20 years.
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