Woolworths North Parramatta: Construction of shopping centre at North Rocks Rd begins
Construction of a major supermarket, bottle shop and gym has started on the fringes of a western Sydney CBD. Find out when you can start pushing your trolley down the aisle.
Parramatta
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A retail hub for western Sydney has reached a milestone with construction of a $30m shopping centre at North Parramatta under way.
Hard hats and corporate suits descended on the parcel of land at North Rocks Rd on Monday to mark the turning of the sod for the project, which will house a full-line Woolworths supermarket, BWS bottle shop, six specialty tenancies including the World Gym and five eateries with an undercover outdoor dining area.
It is understood the gym will operate 24 hours subject to approval. The 3800sq m retail hub on the former Bunnings site will also include six-bay direct to boot service for shoppers seeking convenience.
It will create 200 jobs during construction and about 100 ongoing jobs when the centre is due to open in early 2024.
Woolworths property development general manager Andrew Loveday said the shopping centre, near James Ruse Drive and Windsor Rd, would play an important role in residents’ lives.
“We understand the key role our shopping centres can play in the day to day lives of local residents and the location of this centre on the corner of two major link roads, helping connect western Sydney and the CBD, means residents can easily pick up groceries on their way home,’’ he said.
“On completion, this new Woolworths neighbourhood shopping centre out at North Parramatta will become a high quality and convenient shopping destination - ensuring residents in the immediate catchment areas don’t need to travel too far for their shopping needs.”
Parramatta state Labor MP Donna Davis said the centre would help the city bounce back from Covid impacts.
“This new shopping centre will become a valued resource for our community, especially for those living in surrounding suburbs.’’
The demand for shops to cater for residents in the multistorey homes surrounding it is high but the project has also ignited complaints about traffic congestion.
In April last year, a planning authority - Parramatta local planning panel - labelled the site extremely congested because the bulk of traffic from James Ruse Drive and Windsor Rd would hit North Rocks Rd.
As a solution, Woolworths will help construct a pedestrian connection bridge into the shopping centre via North Rocks Rd in an effort to create a safe access route for customers.
There will also be space for 225 cars.
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