Woodville Park businesses are angry at potentially losing more than 90 car park spaces for a new development

Businesses at a shopping centre in Melbourne’s west are filthy at the prospect of losing more than 90 car park spots for a new development.

More than 90 carparking spaces could be slashed in a “thriving” shopping centre in Melbourne’s west should a new development get the tick of approval.

Wyndham City Council was sent back to the drawing board this week to review an application for a two-lot subdivision at Woodville Park shopping centre in Hoppers Crossing.

The council rejected the proposal last November before the applicant took the fight to VCAT, forcing an amended proposal to return to the chamber for councillors to review.

Councillors voted 6-5 in favour of the amended application, which would cut 92 carparking spaces instead of 100.

If the application was rejected, the matter would have proceeded to a full tribunal hearing in May.

The prospect of losing almost 100 carparking spaces has not gone down well among Woodville businesses, with shop owner James Chiriano expressing concerns for the area’s older demographic.

“The residents that live around the shopping centre are seasoned residents, they’re not young people,” Mr Chiriano said.

“They don’t want to walk too far to come to our shops. They want a safe secure environment which they now have, but imagine if you’re a 70-year-old that needs to go and get some milk and you know you’re not going to be able to get a park.

“I want to protect my customers. If it becomes difficult to come to my business they will go somewhere else”.

Mr Chiriano said the precinct was “doing much better” and overflowing with customers after a tough few years, with a new restaurant and supermarket to be added in the near future.

Cr Jennie Barrera said it was important council “stuck to its guns” on what it previously decided.

“This is a really difficult one,” she said.

“The centre is now reviving which is something we could expect post Covid. I think this area is a special area and a special area of Hoppers Crossing that people reach either by driving or walking and it’s an area that needs its champions”.

Likewise, Cr Robert Szatkowski said the council should not be “laying down for an additional eight spaces”.

An unsuccessful motion was raised in November by Cr Josh Gilligan for council to call on the state government to purchase the land to deal with traffic issues at the shopping centre, which is also used by parents picking up their kids from two nearby schools.

Cr Mia Shaw, who voted in favour of the application at the April meeting, said councillors had missed an opportunity to do something about the issues at the precinct when Cr Gilligan’s motion was put forward.

“We wanted to save that parcel of land and couldn’t get an agreement in the chamber and here we are again debating,” she said.

“We’ve tried to get support to do that and here we are at the death knock”.