SUPERMARKET giant Coles says a great opportunity to revitalise the Caringbah centre will be lost if its plans for a 14 or 15-storey development are rejected.
There had been "no significant redevelopment" in the centre for more than 10 years under present planning controls, the retailer said in a written submission to the review of Sutherland Shire's draft local environmental plan (LEP).
However, Cronulla MP Mark Speakman argued in another submission the project significantly exceeded earlier suggestions by council officers, and should be "scaled back".
"Unfortunately most of the high-rise buildings (over say 10 storeys) built in the eastern half of the shire since the 1960s have not aged well," he said.
"Ugly, low-density buildings can always be demolished, gutted or hidden by trees at some later date, but the economics or physical impossibility of doing this with tall buildings means that we're likely to be stuck with them."
The revised draft LEP, on the recommendation of council officers, gave the "green light" for the Coles plan, allowing a new full-line supermarket and apartment towers.
Conditions imposed in the first draft LEP, including an amalgamation of the adjoining council car park and other properties, were dropped.
Coles told the review panel amalgamation of the site would be very difficult to achieve.
"An amalgamation clause would force the collaboration of multiple parties, with differing financial interests, priorities, timelines, accountabilities, motivations and goals," the company said.
"These parties span two levels of government, as well as private interests."
Coles said this could lead to a protracted process and, ultimately, abandonment.
Coles submitted the council had "undertaken a robust assessment" of how the development would look.
It quoted the council officers' report, which stated the height and increased floor-space ratio could be achieved "whilst maintaining reasonable visual, aesthetic and amenity impacts . . ."
PLANS ON WEBSITE
Written submissions on the draft LEP are available on the Department of Planning and Infrastructure’s website.
A spokeswoman said 286 written submissions had been received, and all would be uploaded by the end of this week.
The spokeswoman could not say when the the review panel would provide a report.
