Dan Murphy’s plans new high-end store for town centre site amid opposition from residents

Fines wines will be in the spotlight as liquor giant Dan Murphy’s plans to open a new up-market bottle-o on the lower north shore – but local residents have levelled the proposal an “overkill”

Fine wines will be in the spotlight as liquor giant Dan Murphy’s plans to open a new up-market bottle-o on the lower north shore – but residents have levelled the proposal an “overkill”

The traditional Dan Murphy’s store would be reimagined as ‘2.0 Vintage Store’ as part of proposal to launch a premium liquor outlet in the Neutral Bay town centre.

Development plans show the store would be located on the lower level of the multistorey $180m Pienza apartment complex currently under construction by developer Central Element at 12-14 Waters Rd.

The store would operate as a “Dan Murphy’s 2.0 Vintage” brand, modelled on the Dan Murphy’s high-end Double Bay store which launched back in 2014.

Central Element, in a statement, said the Neutral Bay store would combine the features of a typical Dan Murphy’s while at the same time “dialling up the customer experience” for shoppers’ opportunity “to discover new and exciting products.”

The new store will be built as part of the Pienza development on Waters Rd.

“The store will have a unique range of local and international products suited to the Neutral Bay locale and boast a wine merchant to support customers in finding the perfect wine for their occasion,” the company said in a statement.

But resident groups have hit out at the proposal, partly due to the high number of liquor outlets already operating in Neutral Bay including four other stores within a 500m radius.

A photo of the Dan Murphy's outlet in Double Bay.

A concept photo of the Waters Rd development.

Resident Meredith Trevallyn-Jones questioned the need for another liquor outlet in the town centre.

“We’re not surprised it’s another liquor store but it’s not a good thing for Neutral Bay,” she said. “We already have a Liquorland, BWS, a Vintage Cellars – I think adding in Dan Murphy’s is overkill and a symptom of poor planning.

“A specialty grocer would have been nice instead rather than another bottle shop.”

Development plans state the Dan Murphy’s outlet would employ up to 25 people and has been designed to “increase the variety of commercial uses” in Neutral Bay.

The store would trade from 9am to 9pm from Monday to Saturdays and 10am to 8pm on Sundays.

The development plans for the project have been lodged by Central Element and also include adding four other retail spaces.

The development is one of a series of new multistorey buildings planned in Neutral Bay including the redevelopment of the adjoining Woolworths store which is proposed to be turned into a Coles supermarket along with upper level apartments.

The new bottle shop would become the third Dan Murphy’s outlet on the lower north shore and comes a year after the retailer launched a similar ‘premium’ outlet in Lane Cove.