Cobram Village has received overwhelming support from the local community with 85 positive submissions made to Moira Shire Council in response to the exhibition of the plans for the proposed new $40 million neighbourhood retail centre.
Moira Shire Council will vote on 19 December about continuing the assessment process and having the matter heard by an independent planning panel appointed by the Minister for Planning.
“The groundswell of community support is absolutely amazing and surpasses what we have seen on other developments. This support translates to consumer demand and reinforces the research Tipalea has undertaken showing the need for more retail in Cobram,” said Scott Spanton, CEO of Tipalea Partners.
“We have had such high levels of support since announcing our intent to develop Cobram Village, with over 1,800 followers on Facebook and high levels of attendance at our community meetings and engagement in our survey,” he said.
Some 700 locals participated in the Cobram Village Survey undertaken earlier in 2018 to review their shopping habits and seek feedback on what local consumers want from future retail in Cobram.
Key findings included that while 80% of respondents do their weekly groceries at Woolworths and IGA Cobram – an overwhelming 80-90% of people would change to shop at either Coles or Aldi if these alternatives were presented.
“It is obvious that locals think it is time to end the supermarket monopoly and up the ante in the local retail experience with value-adds such as parents’ rooms, kids play areas, public seating and parking that caters to disabled, elderly and parents,” Scott Spanton said.
Cobram Village will target national retailers to bring lower prices for everyday shopping and significantly boost local employment.
Should Moira Shire Council elect to continue the process on the 19th December, the next steps for Cobram Village is for the matter to be heard by an independent planning panel in the new year where all submissions made during the public exhibition process will be considered.
Cobram Village is set to create a welcome employment boost to the local community – creating over 200 construction jobs in its development and a further 200 on-going local jobs once the centre opens.
The proposed centre includes a full-line supermarket, a smaller secondary grocery store, a ‘mini-major’ retailer, a medical centre and 11 specialty stores and parking for over 430 cars.
You can follow the progress of Cobram Village at facebook.com/CobramVillage and www.CobramVillage.com.au