Proposal to establish medical rooms at old Molly Malone’s site

Battered fish and piping hot scallops - for years Molly Malone’s was an institution. See the new plans for the Gordon Street shop.

From fish and chips to scripts - that’s the plan for a commercial site in the heart of Coffs Harbour.

A development application has been lodged with council to convert a one-time takeaway food store into medical rooms.

Rachael Wade has bought 8/20 Gordon Street - which used to trade as Molly Malone’s fish and chip shop in the Max Murray Mall - and has applied to council for permission to turn the premises into a “small number” of professional consulting rooms.

“All equipment (from the old takeaway store) has been removed as part of the agreed sale. It is now an empty space,” Ms Wade states in the development application.

The one-time Molly Malone’s in the Max Murray Mall.

A $40,000 internal fit-out of the site is envisaged.

“The commercial space will then be used as allied health rooms, eg psychology, physiotherapy, speech therapy,” Ms Ward writes.

It’s proposed the site could accommodate up to three workers, and it would trade typically from 8am to 6pm weekdays with scope for out-of-hours appointments though these would be “not common”.

Plans have been lodged with Coffs Harbour City Council to change use of the 8/20 Gordon Street site to that of medical consult rooms.

In the statement of environmental effects, the applicant notes “the proposed development is a medical centre meaning premises that are used for the purpose of providing health services (including preventative care, diagnosis, medical or surgical treatment, counselling or alternative therapies) to out-patients only, where such services are principally provided by health care professionals”.

“This change of use will result in less intensive use of the shop ... this will result in a significantly reduced number of people on site at any one time.”

It’s put that clients would use existing public parking in the area, while workers could access the small number of spots available to mall staff.

The proposed development is one of a number of projects on the boil in Coffs Harbour.