Candidate calls for meeting over proposed Palmwoods supermarket
An impression of the supermarket that would ‘offer a great new lcoation for customers to shop’
The proposed layout
by Janine Hill
A candidate for the next council election has called for a town meeting to discuss a proposed Coles supermarket for Palmwoods.
Tracy Burton, a Queensland Greens member who will run for division five, said more information was needed about the development on Palmwoods-Montville Road.
“The vast level of earthworks carried out in order to redesign the natural floodplain appears extreme and many residents have expressed concern that there has been an overall lack of community consultation over this project,” Ms Burton said in a letter to the Gazette.
Ms Burton said people also needed more information about a proposed roundabout at Churchill Street; the impact of increased traffic on Margaret Street; pedestrian safety measures; the management of peak hour congestion; the timeframe for roadworks; the impact that Coles would have on local businesses, and more.
But just who should organise such a meeting?
Ms Burton called on the Sunshine Coast Council and sitting councillor Winston Johnston to organise the meeting.
However, Cr Johnston said it would be inappropriate for the council to call a public meeting about a development application, particularly as it was still in progress.
“The reality of the situation is that’s out for public notification at the present moment and we wouldn’t hold a public meeting until that has finished,” he said. Cr Johnston said Council had only just received all the requested documentation for the application on Friday and “we haven’t yet had time to review but it’s on Developmenti (https://developmenti.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au)”.
“It’s going to take some time for that documentation to be reviewed,” he said. “But I was assured today that the current operational works are 100 percent in-line with what the court approved, back in 2011, for the townhouses.
“Still, it won’t be until at least April or May until Council can make a decision on this application.”
There has been some confusion within the community about plans for the site.
Cr Johnston said a previous application for multiple dwelling units had been rejected by the council but the developer went to court which gave the go ahead for 55 townhouses and associated site works began months ago.
The council subsequently received an application by Neubau Holdings No22 Pty Ltd to build a 3400sq m supermarket with 198 carparking spaces instead of the townhouses.
Cr Johnston said it would be inappropriate to express his views about the application at this stage.
However, he said there were some issues with it, including the supermarket floor area of 3400sq m being above the maximum for a town the size of Palmwoods, and the site being outside the designated business area.
The Palmwoods Action Group has been involved in some consultation with the developers and is supportive of the project.
Spokesperson Pamela Rogowski said Palmwoods needed a full-line supermarket, it would be close to the town centre without affecting it, good for the local economy and employment, and involve construction of a roundabout at Churchill Street which would improve safety.
She said the lobby group had emailed 550 residents and only two had voiced objection to the proposal.