New Coles supermarket development gets green light to be built at Elliot Springs
A new supermarket development including a bottle shop has received the go-ahead to be built in one of Townsville’s fastest growing suburbs along the Bruce Highway. See the plans.
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It’s full steam ahead for a Coles supermarket development proposed for the rapidly growing satellite community of Elliot Springs after it received Townsville City Council’s tick of approval.
Located about 15km to the southeast of the Townsville CBD, the development was proposed to be built at the intersection of the Bruce Highway and Elliot Springs Boulevard at Julago.
The job-generating development would include a supermarket, specialty shops, food and drink outlets, and office spaces, along with 267 parking spaces.
With an estimated 26,000 residents expected to live in the area by 2056, the new centre was well-positioned to meet future demand, while also saving residents a lengthy drive to the nearest alternative shopping centre at Fairfield Central.
Townsville City Council’s Planning and Development Committee heard on Wednesday that approval had been given by council officers for the project in late September, without the need for public consultation or a vote by councillors.
The committee’s chairman Mark Molachino explained that the proposal was “code assessable”, because it complied with the approved original plan for Elliot Springs, under the provisions of the Planning Act 2016.
“If they tried to do something different, other than what was originally planned, then it would be impact assessable and have to come to council to approve,” Mr Molachino said.
“Elliot Springs is starting to bounce ahead now, it’s getting to critical mass.
“What it means is that people looking to build will see it’s getting more and more services out there … and will choose Elliot Springs as a place to live moving forward.”
A Coles spokesman said they were excited about the prospect of providing a new supermarket in Elliot Springs that would both offer a great new location for customers to shop while supporting hundreds of new local retail and construction jobs for the community.
“We’ll be sure to keep the community informed of any progress on the proposed local supermarket,” he said.
While supportive of the increased convenience for residents living in the Julago area, Division 10 Councillor Fran O’Callaghan expressed concern about an increase in Bruce Highway traffic.
“As that area grows, we’re going to see increases in traffic coming up to the city and we really want to make sure that we’re getting that infrastructure in that will accommodate that growth,” Mrs O’Callaghan said.
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Originally published as New Coles supermarket development gets green light to be built at Elliot Springs
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