More jobs and free parking as part of major supermarket upgrade
Published on 21 April 2021
A major upgrade of the Ritchies supermarket at the Towerhill Shopping Complex will bring an employment boost and continued free parking after Frankston City Council concluded an essential legal process.
Councillors recently voted to proceed with the “discontinuance” of roads within the shopping complex at 145 – 147 Frankston-Flinders Rd – enabling the redevelopment to proceed.
South Ward Cr Brad Hill said the decision was part of a highly technical process that would remove the ‘road’ status from land which is already in private ownership by the owners of the shopping complex.
“Under the Local Government Act 1989, a road discontinuance is different from a road closure. A road closure provides for a Council to block or restrict the passage or access of vehicles on a road by the placing of a barrier or obstruction.
“In this case the proposed discontinuance is not intended to prohibit access, consistent with the associated Town Planning approval for a redevelopment of the supermarket.
“The proposed discontinuance will merely remove the ‘road’ status from land, which is already in private ownership. Any future changes to access would require Council Town Planning approval,” Cr Hill said.
Cr Hill stressed that access to the shopping complex would not be affected by the discontinuance.
Councillors previously voted in September 2020 to remove the shopping complex roads from the Public Road Register and start the statutory process to ‘discontinue’ them.
Councillors voted to authorise Council CEO Phil Cantillon to transfer the discontinued roads back to the shopping complex owners for $1 per land title.
Cr Hill added: “The land to be redeveloped was acquired by the owners in 1973 and 1974. The owners have already paid fair market value consideration for the land and it would be inequitable to expect the owners to again pay for land they already own.”
The redevelopment of the supermarket is scheduled to be completed by December, 2022.
Ritchies Stores Pty Ltd CEO, Fred Harrison, said the $12 million redevelopment is anticipated to increase staff at the supermarket from the current figure of 50 up to approximately 120 employees.
Mr Harrison said: “The new supermarket will be a Ritchies’ superior Fine Food and Wine Merchants, similar to our Mt Eliza and Dromana supermarkets.
“It will be a ‘green’ store with an undercover loading dock, internal refuse room, solar panel installations and energy efficient in-store refrigeration, heating reclaim and cooling systems and sustainable packaging.
“The store will offer a new sushi kiosk, an artisan bakery and a full line delicatessen. The car park will be reconfigured, resurfaced, landscaped and well lit, to maximise pedestrian safety.
“There will be no changes to current access and egress points to the complex via the existing Golf Links Rd, Frankston-Flinders Rd, Bondi Ave and Bruce Rd entries and exits will remain and use by customers of the car park will continue to be free of charge,” Mr Harrison said.