Council gives tick to new westside mini-Coles store

Brisbane’s inner-west will get Queensland’s first new-look Coles, following approval from council and the State Government.

Artist's impression of how the Coles store would look from the street.

Taringa residents will get a new small-format Coles and liquor outlet on the corner of Moggill and Swann roads after Council and the State Government gave the project the green light.

Planners Urbis said in the development application that the proposal involved a smaller supermarket, which would not be a full line store, and a Liquorland with a basement level of carparking.

“This smaller type of store has yet to be opened in Queensland but has been operating in Surrey Hills (Victoria) for more than 18 months,’’ Urbis said.

“The smaller scale nature of the Coles Local format allows for finer grain architectural treatment, which is more consistent with the traditional retail themes presented in Taringa Village.

A handful of residents lodged objections to the project, mainly around traffic impacts on the congested intersection.

“I believe it will adversely affect the local shops and the area is already congested with traffic,’’ York St resident Bret Malinas said in his submission.

Walter Taylor ward Councillor, James Mackay, who worked to reduce the speed limit on Swann Rd to 50kmh, had expressed cautious approval in June when the plan was announced, but only if traffic and pedestrian and cyclist safety were addressed.

Greens MP for the area, Michael Berkman, said in his submission that the property did not satisfy the criteria for a “landmark site’’ and the proposed architecture was plain.

Map of where the proposed Coles store will be sited.

“The traffic report states that the proposed development will have no adverse impacts on the surrounding road network,’’ Mr Berkman wrote in his submission.

“This seems unlikely to be true when developing a new supermarket at an intersection which is already congested.

“The proposed measures to ease traffic are limited.’’

He said the developer had not even included bicycle parking until that omission was pointed out, and should have been required to pay for safe, separated cycle lanes and footpaths.

The area was identified on two cycling routes but both Moggill and Swann roads were unsafe for cyclists.

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The site, next to the train line, has remained vacant for years after Council knocked back several other development proposals because of traffic concerns.

Council raised a number of other objections, including the bulky view as seen from nearby houses on Swann Rd.

It had asked the developer to soften that area with landscaping, but the developer said that was not feasible and instead offered to include a mural on a southern-facing wall.

Council had also asked for more pedestrian awnings along the Moggill Rd frontage.

However the State Assessment and Referral Agency said it would allow the project to go ahead as long as building work did not affect the stability of the railway line.

It also said the developer must build a barrier to stop cars or pedestrian access to the train tracks and stop people throwing objects on the tracks.