WINTHROP Village Shopping Centre could soon be home to apartments and a new liquor store.
About 40 apartments, which would be built within a development four to five storeys high, are being considered for the north-east portion of the site bounded by Somerville Boulevard, Jackson Avenue and Hatherley Parade.
The liquor store would be on the south east portion of the lot.
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READ NOWThe site currently features about 4500sq m of retail space anchored by an IGA.
Lex Barnett, a spokesman speaking on behalf of site owners at a council briefing earlier this month, was excited by the opportunity.
“In terms of its commercial capacity, (the site is) pretty much fully developed in so far as the catchment around it can’t really support any additional retail or commercial space,” he said.He said the site’s C4 zoning would allow for medium density residential development and was a chance to introduce housing diversity to the area.
“The location is well suited to a bit of density development being right adjacent to a shopping centre and on a high frequency bus route,” he said.
Plans include a tree exclusion zone designed to protect a run of mature eucalypts, which would screen the apartments.
Mr Barnett said the proposed liquor store would “essentially be a replacement” for the current outlet already inside the main shopping centre, “in a location that would allow for a slightly larger footprint as well as a drive-through facility”.
Even though parking spaces will make way for any possible build, Mr Barnett was confident it would not lead to a shortage of parking.
In a report to a council briefing session, Melville’s statutory planning manager Peter Prendergast said the local development plan (LDP) proposes “a modest increase in the applicable plot ration from 1.0 to 1.25 and the ability to take advantage of existing car parking provided in the centre”.
“Both these measures are aligned with the approaches outlined in the City’s Local Planning Strategy and the Car Parking Strategy,” he said.
He said the LDP includes built form provisions to ensure any new building – including the liquor store – is “designed and orientated in an appropriate manner taking into account its location within a local activity centre”.
One submission was made during public consultation, with the objection based on the negative impact on traffic, possible anti-social behaviour from the liquor store and apartments that will be out of character.
The City of Melville is set to vote on a local development plan Tuesday night.
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