Wenty Mall tenant slams Wentworthville redevelopment

High-rise units atop a shopping complex with a supermarket will look like a “pimple on your bum” and fail to revive the ailing Wentworthville Mall, a veteran tenant has said.

Andrew Burg opposes high-rise plans for Wentworthville.

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High-rise units atop a shopping complex with a supermarket will look like a “pimple on your bum” and fail to revive the ailing Wentworthville Mall, a veteran tenant has said.

Wentworthville Dental Services’ dental technician Andrew Burg responded to the Parramatta Advertiser’s article last week after management of the embattled mall said plans for a supermarket to replace IGA were proceeding.

Mr Burg is cynical about a redevelopment saving Wenty Mall. Picture: Justin Sanson

The redevelopment would comprise up to 20 storeys of apartments and two levels of retail at the Dunmore St site.

“Eighteen to 20 storeys will look like a pimple on your bum,’’ Mr Burg said.

“Five hundred to 600 units here will mean about 1500 people.

“Everybody is against the towers going up. They just think it’s a joke.”

Mr Burg has worked at Wenty for almost 38 years.

Mr Burg, who has worked at the upstairs practice for 38 years, said the 4000sq m supermarket would also fail to boost business at the mall, which was struggling before IGA shut last year.

“There weren’t enough people in there shopping,’’ he said.

“We’re never going to have a supermarket because of the kind of demographic.

“In Wenty, all you’ve got to do is walk up and down the street to see every shop is an Indian shop.

“The Indian people shop in their own shopping centres.”

He says the changing demographic won’t support a supermarket at Wentworthville.

He said he was convinced the mall would be sold but records showed otherwise.

Cumberland Mayor Greg Cummings supported the redevelopment and hoped it proceeded.

“The actual proposal looks promising with a full supermarket and that’s what the centre needed,’’ he said.

“I think the more services we have in the CBD, the better. The demographics might be changing but people still need their groceries.”