Harold Park supermarket unwelcome

Harold Park supermarket unwelcome

Community groups and residents in Glebe are voicing discontent over a proposal to build a major supermarket in the planned Harold Park parklands, where Mirvac is proposing to build the new supermarket in the old tramshed building.

Committee member of FLAG Harold Park, Andrew Rolfe, said that building a supermarket in parkland was unsuitable and would cause dangerous traffic conditions.

“It’s a pretty unusual scenario where the City of Sydney is designing a park but they’re also going to possibly approve a supermarket which will be within the tramsheds,” Mr Rolfe said.

“The main thing is that people driving into the supermarket are going to drive through parkland. With pedestrians and cyclists in the parkland … it’s just a safety conflict.”

The Harold Park apartments under construction are expected to bring 2,500 new residents into the area.

Mr Rolfe said the roads could be pushed to breaking point with traffic from the supermarket coupled with that of the new residents.

“The community is already concerned about traffic and how 2,500 residents will impact the Crescent, which is the main road,” he said. “To attract new traffic into the area for shopping could be a nightmare.”

The original plans for the tramsheds included a small supermarket to service new residents.

Mr Rolfe said the new supermarket was larger than needed for the future residents and would draw shoppers from other areas.

“The supermarket that they’re planning is a lot bigger than the small supermarket,” he said. “It’s 80 metres long by 35 metres wide, so it sounds like a major supermarket to me.

Lesley Lynch from The Glebe Society said the long opening hours proposed for the supermarket could affect the amenity of the area.

“The proposed operating hours for the supermarket – 6am until midnight – are excessive and unnecessary for profitable operation,” she said. “It should close at 9pm.”

Ms Lynch raised concerns over the impact that the supermarket would have on the major shopping streets in the area, Glebe Point Rd and Booth St in Annandale.

“It is not credible that this intensity of supermarket/retail activity will not have adverse effects on the neighbouring Annandale and Glebe business strips,” she said.

A City of Sydney spokesperson said that Council could not comment on the DA proposal as it was under assessment.

“This development application is under assessment by City staff, who will take into account all submissions,” the City of Sydney spokesperson said.

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