By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A $100 MILLION shopping centre development will create up to 1000 jobs at Leopold, its developer has told the Independent.
The proposed extension of Gateway Plaza to 30,000 square metres of floor space will create the region’s second-largest suburban shopping after Waurn Ponds.
A report to Geelong’s council this week said the proposed shopping centre was “very large and economic impacts need to be thoroughly assessed”.
“The plans submitted show an expansion of close to 30,000sqm of shop floor area including a second supermarket, two discount department stores and speciality shops in an internal mall.
“This is a larger centre than the existing well established sub-regional centres at Waurn Ponds (21,000sqm), Belmont (13,200sqm) and Corio (27,513sqm).
“Council needs to understand how the expansion will be staged to ensure acceptable impacts on existing activity centres including Central Geelong.”
The report said retail expert’s independent assessment raised “a serious concern that if the sub-regional centre was developed to its full extent without staging the impact on centres such as Newcomb and central Geelong would be significant (a decline in trade of 10 per cent)”.
The report said developer Lascorp submitted a draft stage-one plan deleting a discount department store, reducing the centre to 22,375sqm.
But development of stage two would eventually increase the space to 30,000sqm, subject to a further planning permit.
“This provides investor certainty for Lascorp’s ultimate plans but allows council to properly assess the economic impacts of any stage two plans through a future planning permit process,” the report said.
Lascorp national development manager Rob Harris said demand for the centre outweighed any short-term impact on other retail centres.
The $60 million to $70 million first stage would build on the strong performance of the existing Gateway Plaza, he said.
Drysdale Clifton Springs Residents Association’s Matthew Green was concerned about the impact of the Leopold development on Drysdale’s traders.
“Traders in Drysdale might be a little upset if it becomes a major drawcard to Leopold,” Mr Green said.
“It may also stymie development in Drysdale because there’s now an oversupply in Leopold.
“Bigger is not necessarily better. We prefer to keep it local, see the dollars spent in the local community.”
The Independent reported in February that the centre lost a Masters hardware store because council’s structure plan for Leopold ruled out further development along Bellarine Hwy.
