NEWS DESK
Traders fear new mega-market Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au MYSTERY still surrounds the identity of the supermarket eyeing the site of the former Masters store on Mornington-Tyabb Rd, Mornington. The $4 million development proposal lodged with Mornington Peninsula Shire’s planning department has been “called in” by the mayor Bev Colomb and will be on the agenda for council’s April public meeting. A verdict on the mega-supermarket proposal was initially being left up to the shire’s planning department until its potential impact on the town’s retail landscape was realised. The size of the proposed retail spaces and the “secrecy” surrounding the application has upset established traders. Mornington Chamber of Commerce president Alice Dawkins said the town “does not need another major supermarket – especially out of the Main St shopping precinct”. “It will not be good for the town,” she said. “We feel the shire has not been open about this, which is a problem. It all seems quite secret.” Ms Dawkins said “proper planning is not being done if they are not saying what is going in there”. The shire’s planning services executive manager David Bergin did not divulge the identity of the supermarket
last week when asked for comment: “The Mornington Masters site was publicly advertised on 6 December 2016 and the notice period concluded on 22 December 2016 and two objections have been received and one supporting submission. “We received an application for repurposing the existing building as a supermarket, seven restricted retail premises (bulky goods stores) and a cafe. The application is currently under final assessment and a decision is likely to be made in the near future.” The application – which includes a 4250 square metre supermarket, six bulk stores ranging in size from 5002000 square metres and a 100 square metre café – is “enormous”, according to Ms Dawkins. “People also have the right to know what’s going on in the [smaller] 2000 square metre site,” she said. “A Costco or a department store would not be a problem, but a big new supermarket and a range of variety shops could not replicate or enhance what we already have here [in Main St]. “And traffic would become a big issue. “I can’t see the sense of building a satellite shopping centre. It will fragment the whole shopping experience and disturb the balance in the street. “People on that side [of Mornington] would not need to cross Nepean Highway.”
Sellers’ market: The auction of the commercial site in Sorrento on the Labour Day weekend achieved a sales record and attracted a huge crowd.
Record Labour Day sale A SORRENTO commercial site sold at auction for $3.71 million on Saturday 11 March – more than $1.31 million over the reserve. The sale of 157-163 Ocean Beach Rd attracted 68 bids from the 300-strong crowd. It achieved an area record of $6700 a square metre for the 554 square metre block on a yield of 2.6 per cent. The corner site contains two freestanding commercial buildings – Happy Days and Patrick’s – and is said to
be “strategically positioned” adjoining a 200-space council car park. Selling agent Sandro Peluso, of CBRE, says the sale proves the Mornington Peninsula property market is “continuing to gain momentum”. “[Last year] was a hugely successful year for Mornington Peninsula’s property market and this sale highlights the huge untapped demand that still exists,” Mr Peluso said. Associate agent Rorey James said the deal also highlighted the strength-
ening offshore interest in the peninsula property market. “When comparing our auction in Sorrento on the Labour Day weekend in 2016 against 2017, inquiry from international groups has jumped 39 per cent, with the peninsula one of the most in-demand areas in Victoria.” The sale follows last year’s auction of the Mitre 10 Hardware store at 80-90 Ocean Beach Rd for $11.465 million – a rate of nearly $4500 a square metre.
Southern Peninsula News 28 March 2017
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