Vermont South Shopping Centre upgrade delayed
Its sign is missing a letter; it has carpeted sloping floors that make it hard to control trolleys; and it hasn’t had an upgrade for 46 years. But shoppers hoping for improvements at a Whitehorse shopping centre will have to wait a bit longer.
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A promised upgrade of Vermont South Shopping Centre has been delayed, disappointing a loyal shopper who says she is “embarrassed” by the state of it.
Shoppers rejoiced last year at news the beloved centre, which hasn’t been upgraded since it was built 46 years ago, was finally set to get a spruce up.
Management announced the tired exterior was finally set to be made over, with work to begin in January.
But the work hasn’t started, leaving shopper Wendy Forsyth disappointed.
Ms Forsyth said the facade desperately needed upgrading and the misspelt sign should be fixed.
“Out on Burwood Highway it’s got the word shopping centre spelt ‘cente’ with the r missing,” she said.
“The place is just a circus.
“I mean, I shop there all the time, I love it, but how bad does it have to be (before it gets upgraded?)”
“I’d like to see the spelling fixed (on the sign) and the facade on the Hanover Rd side where you walk in, near Bakers Delight, it looks like it is falling apart, it needs to be updated and made presentable.”
“It’s just the look of the place, the signage, the front entrance on Hanover Rd, I’m embarrassed as a Vermont South resident to look at that.
“It would definitely be the shabbiest centre in Whitehorse there’s no doubt about it — but I still love it.”
Ms Forsyth said the sloping floors in the centre were also “pretty ridiculous”.
“Your trolleys run away, older ladies with trolleys really battle to get out that front door (that faces Hanover Rd) because trolleys run away to your left,” she said.
“So you’ve got to be careful not to bash into shops, they’ve even got a rail around the shops to stop trolleys from smashing into windows.”
Centre manager Josh Danne said the replacement of the facade was scheduled to start in January but in preparation for the works the contractor identified that additional engineering was required.
Mr Danne said the centre was working with the project manager and builder to finalise the required engineering and looked forward to starting the project in the near future, but said they did not have scheduled start date.
“The signage at the property will also be incorporated in this project, as the facade mounted signage will be replaced,” he said.
Mr Danne said the floor in some sections of the centre did have a slight gradient, which had been in the case since the centre was built, and there were no plans to address it at this stage.
He said the carpet was installed to minimise the impact of the sloping floor by increasing friction and helping to prevent runaway trolleys.
“This adds to the distinctive appeal of the centre,” Mr Danne said.
The 62 stores at Vermont South Shopping Centre are individually owned. The Body Corporate is managed by OCVM Group.
Mr Danne said while having individual owners posed some challenges, it also contributed to the strong connection the centre shared with the community.
He said the owners had to pay for all of the maintenance and any upgrades at the centre.
Mr Danne said owners and traders had undoubtedly been impacted by the recent coronavirus restrictions, which had resulted in a number of shops temporarily closing their doors.
“It is times like this, that the Vermont South Shopping Centre relies on the longstanding relationships with its valued customers to get through this challenging time,” Mr Danne said.
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