North Parramatta: Gym to join Woolworths, BWS bottle shop on former Bunnings site

A gym and bottle shop are set to join a supermarket to be built on a former Bunnings site in western Sydney. See fresh images of what’s in store for the major development.

A 24-hour gym and three small businesses will be built alongside a Woolworths supermarket and BWS liquor shop at North Parramatta on the former Bunnings site.

A warehouse and direct-to-boot distribution centre and 225-space carpark is also planned for the 7450sq m development on the corner of North Rocks and Windsor roads, which a planning panel approved in February.

The Bunnings warehouse will be converted into the Woolies and bottle shop, which will occupy 3685sq m of the site.

The supermarket and three shops are proposed to open every day from 7am to midnight while BWS will operate from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sundays.

A noise impact report into the proposal said the hours would “not give rise to any adverse acoustic impacts on neighbouring properties”.

How the entrance of the supermarket will look.

Parramatta local planning panel chair Julie Walsh labelled the site extremely congested, with the bulk of traffic from the nearby James Ruse Drive and Windsor Rd intersections hitting North Rocks Rd.

As a solution to ease the congestion, Woolworths will donate a portion of land so James Ruse Drive can be widened.

A 3m pedestrian bridge will also be constructed after the supermarket giant pays Parramatta Council $500,000 to complete the project.

The project is forecast to create 1196 direct and indirect jobs and fill a gap for residents living in multi-storey apartment blocks surrounding the site, who have to drive or walk to Coles on Victoria Rd in North Parramatta for a large grocery run.

Three small businesses are planned for the development as well as the supermarket.

Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger said the northern part of the city needed more supermarkets.

“I remember a period 15 years ago there were no supermarkets,’’ he said.

“The only supermarkets you could find in Parramatta were Westfields and since then we’ve seen the success of Coles North Parramatta, Spar in Albert St, there’s a lot of demand for groceries in that part of the city.

“In a big city we need the full range of supermarkets, from the full-scale, full-service supermarket to the corner store and everything in between.’’

There will be a 225-space carpark.

The facade wall of the heritage-listed Sydney Woollen Mills, built in 1913, will remain.

Public feedback runs from Friday to May 27.

The 24-hour gym as seen from Windsor Rd.

MORE NEWS

Parramatta: David Saies jailed for masturbating outside Macarthur Girls’ High School, touching child’s breast

United Australia Party fields candidates for Parramatta, McMahon, Blaxland, Fowler, Werriwa