Woolies slams brakes

Bid to delay work on Gordonvale centre

WOOLWORTHS has dragged the chain on one of its most controversial developments in the Far North and now wants permission to further prolong construction for years to come.

Cairns Regional Council was forced to approve the supermarket giant’s Gordonvale shopping centre development in 2015 after losing a Planning and Environment Court appeal.

It is understood the council’s legal fees cost ratepayers about $600,000.

The project’s timeline stretches all the way back to 2010, when the council initially rejected the proposal amid considerable public backlash and concerns about the effect of establishing a new shopping precinct away from Gordonvale’s CBD.

Now Fabcot, the company’s in-house corporate property division, has applied for a sixyear extension that would allow construction to stretch out to 2025. The current approval is due to expire in November this year.

“The applicant now seeks a further six-year extension to the relevant period though it is expected that initial development works will commence in the next two to three years,” the application states.

“If approved, this extension would result in the development approval lapsing on November 11, 2025.”

The new plan is in stark contrast to a statement in May last year, when Woolworths senior property development manager Jon Barker said: “We’ve decided to press the button now and commence the development, which we expect to have completed by mid-2019.”

The new application acknowledges there have been changes to the council’s planning scheme since approvals were granted but states “these inconsistencies are not substantial enough to warrant a refusal of the request”.

The 3200sq m centre will feature a Woolworths supermarket, retail specialty stores, fast food and a petrol station.

The company says it will create hundreds of construction jobs and more than 120 retail positions.