Woolworths North Parramatta on old Bunnings site wins council support
A plan to convert a former Bunnings site in a landmark position into a Woolworths supermarket has been given the green light. It is hoped the shop will address a massive need for grocery stores in the area.
Parramatta
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A full-line Woolworths supermarket proposed for the former Bunnings warehouse at North Parramatta would help address a 7000sq m-undersupply of grocery stores to cater for the area’s population explosion, a retail boss has said.
Woolworths regional development manager Angus White outlined the demand for the 3800sq m supermarket in a submission to Parramatta Council this week, when it threw its support behind the plans which include a BWS liquor shop and a 256-space carpark at 1 Windsor Rd.
Mr White said apart from the Coles on Victoria Rd at North Parramatta and the smaller 1040sq m IGA at Northmead, there was a shortage of supermarkets for the 44,000-strong population.
“There is current undersupply of more than 7000sq m of supermarket floor space in the trading area,’’ he said.
“Even with the delivery of our supermarket proposal, there would still be an undersupply of more than 3500sq m.
“This need will increase in future if no additional supermarkets are provided. The population of the area at over 44,000 could support five full-line supermarkets with reference to industry benchmarks.’’
Mr White cited a council strategy, which forecast the population to soar from 235,000 to 433,000 over the next 20 years.
“In addition, the Central City District Plan identifies more than 1.76 million sq m of additional retail floor space is needed over the next 20 years,’’ he said.
Ahead of the proposal seeking council approval, the Parramatta Local Planning Panel rejected Woolworths’ plan in June because the supermarket be refused because it is away from shopping villages.
But Mr White said there were no suitable existing sites to develop the supermarket.
“Importantly, given the growth of population in areas away from those centres, new retail is needed to follow this growth to meet local needs,’’ he said.
The project is expected to generate 1196 direct and indirect jobs.
The council’s endorsement of the project now means the planning proposal will proceed to the Planning Department for final approval.