Harris Farm Markets, Manly: $6m makeover gets the go-ahead from planning officials
A fruit and veg retail giant has been given the go-ahead for a $6m mega-makeover on the northern beaches.
Manly
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A popular greengrocer will spend more that $6 million on a massive refurbishment of its northern beaches’ outlet.
Harris Farm Markets — housed in the former tram sheds at Manly — is also adding new and improved butcher, baker and cafe services
It will also add seating for its fish and chip shop and fresh food bar.
The mega-retailer’s refit was given the go-ahead by the independent Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel. Harris Farm’s development application to the council for the $6.1m makeover was passed on to the planning panel after the council received close to 30 public submissions calling for it to be rejected.
As part of the approved plan, the fruit and veg giant will rip out and rebuild the interior of the main food hall at its Pittwater Rd premises. Skylights will be installed in the roof.
The retailer had originally planned to rebuild a historic 15m high brick water tower — demolished decades ago — and bulldoze an old office building at the eastern end of the site so it could extend the car park.
In amended plans to the panel, Harris Farm will no longer construct the tower or demolish the office. The car park will remain the same size while the entrance and exit driveways will be in the same locations.
But a central median, with pedestrian fencing, will be built from a pedestrian refuge in he middle of busy Pittwater Road to the roundabout at Balgowlah Rd.
An increase in the opening hours — 6am to 9pm 7 days a week — is also part of the DA as well as an increase in external lighting and signage.
But some locals are concerned the improved facilities will attract more customers and, therefore, more traffic and parking problems in local streets.
Neighbour Rod Fredericks said in a submission that locals were already under stress “from the current traffic chaos, the current deliveries at all hours of the night, the current garbage collection that frequently wakes us at 4am, the current noise from the airconditioning system, the current light spillage that frequently bathes our home in daylight conditions (and) the current noise of the forklift operating from 5.30am”.
Another resident, Russ Lewis, had urged that the DA be rejected because “opening more businesses inside the existing building will put increased pressure on Pittwater Rd which, especially during the weekends, is a nightmare.
“Queues of cars are stopped on both sides of Pittwater Rd waiting access into Harris Farm, causing traffic to bank up in both directions.”
In documents lodged with the DA, Harris Farm stated that the main building on the site, built in 1903, was used as the Manly tram sheds until 1939, before it became a bus depot.
Harris Farm has been contated for comment.
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