Supermarket plans thwarted

A proposal to build a two-storey supermarket on Erskineville Rd, at the site of the old Mardi Gras offices, was rejected last week by the Land and Environment Court, after it was found that the complex would create significant traffic problems.

The controversial plan to build a shopping complex on Erskineville Rd, loudly criticised by locals, was scrapped after developers Astro Management brought another appeal before the Land and Environment Court.

It is clear that a supermarket in the order of 2000 m2 cannot be described as a small-scale shop, the LEC Commissioner said in the findings.

I have now been persuaded by the evidence that the proposed supermarket is too large and does not meet the planning intent.

Deputy Mayor Marcelle Hoff welcomed the decision.

Planning controls at Erskineville are designed to encourage smaller-scale retail to service the local area. A large supermarket would have changed the area’s character and generated significant traffic on the village’s already congested streets.