Lauderdale will get a Woolworths supermarket after the Clarence City Council unanimously approved the $26.3 million development at a planning meeting on Monday night.
The decision ends a 13-year wait for the project, first approved more than a decade ago before being reshaped by market conditions, a global pandemic and community concerns over traffic and safety.
The hub at South Arm and Ringwood roads will include a full-line supermarket, 13 specialty shops, more than 200 car parks and 20 bicycle spaces.
It will be served by a main entrance off the South Arm Highway and a secondary access off Ringwood Road.
Mayor Brendan Blomeley said the project had been worth the wait.
“This is an outstanding proposal,” Blomeley said.
He praised Woolworths’ community engagement as “best practice” and “respectful, genuine and responsive”.
The approval followed a redesign of the main entrance after concerns about children walking to nearby Lauderdale Primary School.
A new ‘Wombat crossing’ will separate pedestrians and cyclists from vehicles turning into the site.
Applicant representative Neil Sheppard told the council the changes followed pressure from the community and the Department of State Growth.
“Fabcot has taken on board the concerns raised by the community and councillors,” Sheppard said.
Councillor Bree Hunter, who pushed for the safety redesign, voted in favour but warned the broader traffic problem remained unsolved.
“It’s not the perfect solution from an access and egress position,” Hunter said.
She said the Lauderdale Structure Plan was more than 10 years old and needed updating.
Councillor Daniel Hulme said the planning scheme gave the council little room to consider impacts on small businesses.
He said a Woolworths or Coles-size supermarket needed a catchment of about 7,000 to 8,000 people and the southern suburbs had a population of around 21,000.
Councillor Emma Goyne acknowledged community anxiety and urged residents to keep shopping locally.
“Local businesses are the heartbeat of our community,” Goyne said.
Councillor Tony Mulder, who moved the motion, said traffic concerns might be addressed in future highway upgrades.
The new shopping hub will serve Lauderdale, Acton Park, Seven Mile Beach, Sandford, South Arm and Opossum Bay.
