Calling on Giralang Resident's Action Group

I’m not part of GRAG, but they sent out an email (don’t know why they didn’t post it on their website) that said this:

To all of GRAG,

Firstly, thank you for your support over the past three years, and for your
endeavours in responding to the current Development Application before
ACTPLA.

While no decision on the current DA has been received we do have some
emerging news.

Members of the GRAG steering committee recently met with Claire Middleton
(for Nikias Nominees), Mary Porter (MLA) and Ian De Landelles (from Mary’s
office) following an invitation from Ms Middleton to hear about a new
proposal.

In short, Nikias Nominees are looking for GRAG/Giralang community support
for a proposal that (if it went ahead) would see Nikias construct a
supermarket on the Giralang site and lease it to Woolworths. There would be
provision for a few additional shops, limited ground level parking,
additional basement parking and a substantial basement/lower level service
area. This flows from an unsolicited approach from Woolworths to Nikias
Nominees.

Claire Middleton has provided GRAG with a copy of the concept layout
diagrams (see attached) so GRAG can circulate them to the Giralang community
(NOTE: these are very preliminary concept diagrams, not even close to a
final proposal). Ms Middleton has indicated that Nikias Nominees is looking
for community support before proceeding with this new proposal, and with
support it would be their preference to pursue this option rather than the
DA currently submitted. They would not intend to withderaw the current DA –
it would proceed as their fallback position should the Woolworths proposal
not eventuate.

The concept would require a major excavation to provide two levels for the
new building. Near Canopus Crescent it would be a single storey with a
basement (underground) car park. Back toward the school the slope of the
land would mean those two levels would become two storeys with the top being
the supermarket and the bottom the service area (loading dock, etc). The
new proposal again incorporates the extra little block that Nikias have
sought approval to purchase as part of their current DA.

Starting from the road (Canopus), the concept would see:

· Small median strip along the street frontage

· Driveway entering where it does now near the garage curving toward
Canopus and parking around to the equivalent driveway entrance at the other
end. There would be nose to curb parking along that driveway.

· Next in would be a pathway and the shops. Notionally two areas for
shops of 225 sqm and 250 sqm separated by the entrance to the supermarket.

· The supermarket would notionally be around 2600 sqm.

That is the upper level.

· The same entrance near the garage as mentioned above would also
provide entrance and exit for the underground car park which would be
roughly the size of all of the block that is covered by the current car park
and the median strip.

· The rear portion of the block would be the 1600 sqm of service area
with the entrance for the trucks coming from the service station end.

The design as we have had it explained to us is really only looking at what
is possible to fit onto the block. It is far from a final plan and many
issues would still need to be discussed and resolved – traffic flows in
particular would require significant consideration.

The GRAG representatives present at the meeting indicated that these plans
appear to be closer to what Giralang residents have indicated to us they
would support than the current DA, but that we would need to seek the input
of residents to gauge the level of support for such a new proposal. GRAG has
undertaken to go out to the Giralang community for feedback.

Please have a look at the attached concept drawings, and consider the
following:

Is this new concept one that should be supported by GRAG on behalf of the
Giralang community? Why/ why not?

If you think the broad concept should be supported, are there any issues you
see that will need resolution?

Please email your initial feedback on this issue. Obviously should this new
proposal progress towards a new development application, there will be a
need for more significant community consultation, but at this stage we are
just trying to get a ‘ballpark’ feel for the community’s reaction to this
new concept. If you have any particular concerns or issues you believe need
to be considered, we want to hear about them.

Regards

GRAG Steering Committee

You can view the plans here (download the pdf attachments).