Planning panel defer Bunnings Tempe
BUNNINGS has been sent back to the drawing board by Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel over its controversial proposal to build a $70 million megastore in Tempe.
Inner West
Don't miss out on the headlines from Inner West. Followed categories will be added to My News.
BUNNINGS has been sent back to the drawing board over its controversial proposal to build a $70 million megastore in Tempe.
The Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel deferred the proposal on Thursday after residents packed out St Peters Town Hall to voice their concerns over using Smith St as the main entrance for traffic and the inevitable rat running that would further choke local streets.
Panel chair Carl Scully requested Bunnings and Inner West Council agree on a traffic expert to prepare an independent peer review of the proposal by December 15.
The panel will then determine the application in early 2019.
“In order to determine this application, the panel requires an assurance that the proposal has minimised impact on nearby residential streets to the maximum possible extent,” Mr Scully said.
He admonished the council for recommending refusal of the application based on insufficient information while not specifying what extra information was required.
While the panel accepted the community’s concerns over traffic, he was reluctant to refuse the proposal because of positive impacts such as the 180 jobs it would create and the service it would provide to the public.
Resident Stephanie Ward welcomed the deferral.
“It’s a good decision today because they heard our message but Bunnings seems committed to using Smith St rather than negotiating with Ikea to use their existing entry points,” she said.
Residents want Bunnings to make a genuine effort to ask the Swedish furniture giant whether it can share its deliveries road as well as its entrance and a road that runs around the back of the carpark to allow rear access.
This would mean all traffic would come off Princes Highway and avoid residential streets.
Ms Ward and several other residents raised safety concerns for local children who use local roads to walk to the Tempe schools.
Modelling showed the 20,000sq m store would generate about 800 vehicle movements an hour on weekdays and about 1100 an hour on weekends.
Tempe Public School P & C representative Mark Ludbrooke said many children walk along the extremely narrow Union St which would be bombarded by hundreds of cars trying to get to Marrickville and Earlwood.
“One of the most popular concerns we hear from parents is about the danger posed by traffic walking to and from school,” he said.
“We have concerns this additional traffic will only exacerbate concerns and pose an unacceptable safety risk to these kids.”
The hardware giant says it will use an existing slipway to provide direct access from Princes Highway to absorb about 25 per cent of the traffic—and half of all trucks.
Roads and Maritime Services had been resistant to any more than that because it would impact the flow of traffic on the highway.
Bunnings’ representatives told the meeting they would be open to providing traffic calming on South St near the corner of Smith St to slow traffic down and discourage drivers from using local streets.
Out of 16 on street parking spaces on Smith St, nine would be retained and 424 parking spaces would be provided on site.
Mayor Darcy Byrne implored the panel to back the council’s recommended refusal.
“For such a well-funded proponent, it is surprising that investment in a proper traffic analysis and assessments on local traffic and parking haven’t been undertaken,” Cr Byrne said.
“Our intention is to stand alongside local community.”
Bunnings’ General Manager of Property Andrew Marks said the 20,000sq m store would create 180 jobs and had been subject to an “extensive traffic review” by the Council and Roads and Maritime Services.
“The proposed traffic strategy has been carefully crafted to facilitate vehicle access to and from the proposed store,” he said.