How this suburban supermarket’s about to grow up — to the tune of $17m
A SUPERMARKET in the ‘burbs is set to double in size under a $17m plan that’ll involve building a new store above a ground floor carpark with escalator access for shoppers. Here are all the details.
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WOOLWORTHS will replace its Brighton supermarket with a store more than twice as large above a ground-level carpark.
Holdfast Bay Council’s Development Assessment Panel approved the $17 million plan this week, two months after approving the expansion of the nearby Brighton Central shopping centre, also on Brighton Rd.
The new Woolworths supermarket will take up 3630sq m of the 5540sq m site, compared with the current supermarket’s 1500sq m footprint.
The ground level will feature a 168-space carpark and entrance foyer with escalators, stairs and a lift to the top-storey supermarket.
A Woolworths spokesman said the project would create 80 construction jobs and 30 new fulltime jobs.
He could not say when work would start.
In October, the panel approved a $12 million expansion of the Brighton Central shopping centre, about 650m south.
As well as expanding the centre’s Foodland supermarket, the project will add more carparks and cover an outside mall.
The new Woolworths supermarket will have a 80m frontage to Keelara St.
Noise from a loading dock facing the street and trucks queuing to use it, were the main concerns of Keelara St residents who spoke at Wednesday’s panel meeting.
Representing one of them, planner Amanda Price-McGregor contended the 2.5-times larger supermarket would bring 2.5 times more trucks to Keelara St.
Woolworths planner Greg Vincent said this was not the case because semi-trailers now come to the store half-full and after the development, they would be full.
“Effectively, the number of semi-trailer vehicles moves from two a day to three a day,” Mr Vincent said.
There would actually be less noise than now, he said, because trucks would load in a dock rather than outside.
He said the existing supermarket, which was formerly an IGA and before that a Coles and a Bi-Lo, was “rundown and old”.
The panel asked why the carpark could not be underground and the supermarket at ground level.
Mr Vincent said it was “cost-prohibitive”.
Part of the site is also in a floodplain.