21 March 2009

New Giralang Shop Plans

| JeffBezos
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i guess the new woolies is gonna go ahead.

I hope they get it should be awesome to have a new shop finally.

Here’s the plans:

http://apps.actpla.act.gov.au

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That should be “curly-apple”, not “apply”.

My question is why do the plans on the ACTPLA site feature the old Woolworths logo, since it’s recently been replaced by the curly-apply-in-the-shape-of-a-W?

Also, Tempestas at comment #8 – what is a *viscous* supply chain practice? 😉

Hmmm, once the only option was ‘townhouses’, so I am a little skeptical that a woolies is now the only ‘option’ – but if it is done reasonably tastefully and they control litter, trolleys etc in the vicinity – it is better than what is there.

My reading of the plans suggests that most of the on-ground parking at the front will be reserved for staff parking. I note that only one tree on the existing site (the huge one at the back) is marked for retention.

There is an almost identical Woolies to this near Rosehill Racecource in Parramatta, I think the other tenancies were like a bakers-delight and similar sort of franchises, I suspect woolworths may well take the best of the other tenancies as an alcohol outlet. We might be lucky and get a newsagent or a cafe, but based on that one I doubt it.

No, there is a crescent of car parking in the front, two sides. I haven’t counted, but it would be similar to the number that are there now (little less maybe). Plus there is underground parking. They are applying to have the current shop site and the little strip of green space at the front merged. I don’t have a big problem with that.

My major worry would be the height of it at the back, dominating the school behind, and the effect on the poor little Doctor’s surgery, completely overshadowed as it will be.

Whilst I prefer something like the old shops at the site, it is simply not going to happen. It is this or townhouses, and as a local resident I’d prefer Woolies. It adds a great deal of local amenity, being able to pick buy food and other goods locally. Particularly when picking up kids from school or on the way home from work.

Looking at the plans…am I right in thinking that all the carparking is in the basement, not above ground? If so, that wouldn’t be too bad…seems very massive however!! Now, any ideas about how we can enforce coin operated trolleys?? If so, I have no concerns!

stonedwookie said :

yeh but its his land he paid for it why shouldn’t he be able to do what he pleases with it? we dont live in communist china right?

No this is land that was originally leased under a 25 year commercial lease that Kate Carnell gifted the “owner/developer” with a lease-upgrade to 99 or 999 years or whatever it was.

The “owner” would of had an original business plan that was going to generate a return over 25 years. The gifting of the longer leases allowed this sort of behaviour to occur.

What was supposed to happen was that at the end of the 25 year lease the local govt would re-auction the lease, if the centre was not viable that would of borne out in the price bidded. As it is now the “owners” have a vested interest in letting any suburban centre run-down so they can make a greater return by converting the lease into something else, like the high density housing they originally wanted.

Ultimately it is your rates/gst/rego etc that subsidises the capacity for this to occur.

If it was communist china I suspect the developer would of been “re-educated” for his or her failure to provide value to the local community.

I guess there’s a market for supermarket car parks, where you can do that bogan 9 1/2 weeks thing (still shaking my head over that image!).

amarooresident210:19 am 23 Mar 09

If they set aside a special area in the carpark for late night lovin’ I’m sure custom will go through the roof.

They’ll just need to ensure that condoms are sold from the cigarette counter.

stonedwookie10:18 am 23 Mar 09

yeh but its his land he paid for it why shouldn’t he be able to do what he pleases with it? we dont live in communist china right?

Why woolworths, why not something else, there are sucessful smaller local stores in other suburbs, with suitable other facilities, the owners just want to maximise their take, which seems to be all we should care about.

Its not about nimbyism at all, Woolworths as has been well documented in many other places derives obscene income from pokies and is notorious for its viscous supply chain practices.

If the only local shops Giralang can have is to a bunch like that, open space has a lot of appeal.

Lets not forget the developer engineered the destruction of the old shops by not doing maintenance and not renewing leases.

stonedwookie12:47 am 23 Mar 09

maybe those people wont shop there but i will im sure many other people will 2

So people aren’t going to shop there either?
Then they will close down.
Then people will complain that there are no shops there again.
Round and round we go!

The worst thing is, there’ll now be another Woolies carpark. And you know what happens in Woolies carparks.

Tempestas said :

That’s a huge woolies for a suburban centre, I wonder if they want veto on the other tenancies, mind you there is only 5 and some would only be big enough for a hole in the wall dry cleaners – can’t find exact size, but lets just say of the 3000 odd metres of commerical space, Woolies look like having 80% easily.

Not a fan of woolies and their pokies dependance, not a fan of the eyesore that’s there now. Best of some bad choices and lets hope Supabarn can take it to them.

Actually it’s pretty average, 3800m2 odd in total with some of that taken up by other tenants. Large full line supermarkets are normally over 4000m2, the size of about 3200m2 would be comparable to Supabarn at Wanniassa, Coles at Jamison or Curtin. The problem the developer most likely has is the nimbys who say they want something done about the site then object to every proposal put forward.

Ditto, my aim in suggesting it was the best of bad choices was only to highlight that the redevelopment is long overdue. Given the time its been empty its a shame the Govt can’t just revoke the lease and re-auction it, Nikias-Diamond or whatever they are called this month would be able to bid with everyone else.

What we are seeing here is the severe downside of the conversion of the old 25 year commercial leases to what they are now.

The real problem for Canberra is that this just encourages the intentional suburban centre neglect by owners, eventually you get either to build houses or get the volume of commercial space increased and nearby suburban open space thrown in.

screaming banshee5:47 pm 22 Mar 09

Tempestas said :

Best of some bad choices and lets hope Supabarn can take it to them.

Well thats up to the residents, but I for one am sick to death of not only the way Woolworths treat their customers but even more so there suppliers. These buy stuff on Tuesday and we’ll donate to the farmers schemes are absolute rubbish, they pick their lowest trading day and when you see how they screw the suppliers down on price in the first place it just makes me sick.

I for one will not be shopping there.

That’s a huge woolies for a suburban centre, I wonder if they want veto on the other tenancies, mind you there is only 5 and some would only be big enough for a hole in the wall dry cleaners – can’t find exact size, but lets just say of the 3000 odd metres of commerical space, Woolies look like having 80% easily.

Not a fan of woolies and their pokies dependance, not a fan of the eyesore that’s there now. Best of some bad choices and lets hope Supabarn can take it to them.

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