Developers battle to build the first supermarket at Eumundi
Developers vying to build the first supermarket in a Sunshine Coast hinterland town have criticised a new application for another grocery store, as they claim their efforts have been delayed.
Sunshine Coast
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Developers fighting to build the first major supermarket in the Sunshine Coast hinterland town of Eumundi are at loggerheads over the latest proposal for the suburb.
Altum Property Group, which has plans to build a full-line supermarket at 10 Memorial Dr, Eumundi, has criticised the decision of the owners of the old Eumundi Butter Factory site, JLJL Pty Ltd, to set about establishing another supermarket on that site.
The family-owned company has held the former Butter Factory site at 124 Memorial Dr and the old Highway Motors precinct since 2014, and announced intentions to lodge their own application seeking to build a supermarket, as well as four specialty shops.
The development is set to include 200 new car park spaces, acoustic walls, a 5m landscape buffer for surrounding neighbours and significant upgrades to footpaths as well as a roundabout at the Caplick Way/Napier Rd intersection.
As part of a bid to build Eumundi’s first major supermarket, the Altum Property Group unveiled its own plans for a full-line grocery store and speciality realty store in 2022.
However, after going through the planning process and spending 12 months waiting for a decision, the Peregian Beach-based developers applied to the Planning and Environment Court in September for approval of its supermarket complex, in response to Sunshine Coast Council’s “deemed refusal”.
Altum Property Group Director Alex Rigby raised questions over the new application for a supermarket at Eumundi.
“The application is a time waster, and I question the financial viability from a construction cost perspective when you consider the public works, retaining works, and civil fill required,” Mr Rigby said.
Mr Rigby added that his own application for a supermarket has been sitting on the desks of planners for over a year.
In response, JLJL Pty Ltd spokeswoman Louise Formosa said the developers had done their due diligence prior to lodging the application.
“In response to the allegations by Altum Property Group, we can only say that we are not in the business of putting other developers down or publicising bias and unsubstantiated opinions regarding sites we don’t own,” she said.
“We’ve done our homework prior to lodgement, and view our proposal as the best outcome for the town centre of Eumundi.
“It is sad the remaining parts of the old butter factory buildings are not structurally sound, however we have salvaged several iconic items from the old butter factory that are being incorporated into the new design to ensure this vital part of Eumundi‘s history stays within our community.”
Ms Formosa explained that her family received approval for a low-density, boutique organic and eco-retail shopping centre in 2019 on the Highway Motors site.
“We also received, at the same time, a preliminary approval on the butter factory precinct that allows for up to 1000sq m of shopping centre use plus residential zoning, therefore it is already approved for a commercial precinct,” she said.
“We are not looking for short term gain, we are long term investors in Eumundi with focus on the future viability and enhancement of the town centre by bringing a greater depth and array of goods and services to the town while also updating infrastructure to support our proposal as well as the community as a whole.”
Ms Formosa explained that the decision to develop a supermarket was made, “after considering all options” and it was the “best option” for the site in terms of position and proximity to the town centre while protecting the town’s rural character.
It’s understood that the company’s application will be lodged with Sunshine Coast Council as soon as this Friday, October 20, with a public information session to run from 4pm-8pm on Wednesday, October 25 at the CWA Hall on Memorial Dr, Eumundi.
The Sunshine Coast Council has also been approached for comment.
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