Residents have say on supermarket bid

RESIDENTS of Yarra Glen will soon have an opportunity to have an official say on the proposed Yarra Glen supermarket and associated parkland development.
Yarra Ranges Council was granted approval by the Minister of Planning to exhibit the application after the developer, Yarra Valley Land Development, made changes required by the council to bring it into line with the shire’s green wedge and urban growth boundary requirements.
Director of Yarra Valley Land Development, Chris O’Connor, told the Mail last week they are currently preparing documentation and expect it will go on exhibition within one or two months.
“Being on exhibition is a real positive,” Mr O’Connor said. “It gives people a chance to see the project and it is important that what we are exhibiting is everything – the supermarket and the parklands. Having it all tied up in the one permit should take away some people’s concerns that we won’t build the parklands,” he said.
A recent survey conducted as part of the Yarra Glen Values and Visions Project showed there was no unanimous support for, or opposition to, the new supermarket and parkland proposal although 56 per cent of respondents indicated a preference for a supermarket larger than the current one.
Malcolm Calder, chair of the Yarra Glen Interim Township Steering Committee which heralded the Values andVision project, said at the time that 35 percent of the population indicated a preference for retaining the current supermarket, while 30 per cent opted for a significantly larger one, and 26 per cent saw the need for a slightly larger supermarket.
The survey also revealed that a higher proportion of people in the 25 to 34 age bracket believed the larger supermarket proposal would be beneficial.
“People who have lived here for less than five years have the highest level of agreement that the supermarket proposal would be beneficial, whilst those who have been here for more than 15 years have the highest level of disagreement,” Mr Calder said.
Yarra Ranges Shire has also welcomed the decision by the minister to allow the project to go on exhibition.
“We welcome the opportunity to undertake community consultation which is about getting community feedback,” the manager of community relations, James Martin, said.