The push is a response to Council’s controversial draft Local Environment Plan (LEP), which if adopted would a see large “Neighbourhood Centre”, with a commercial floor space of 4500 square meters, built on the corner of Mary’s Mount and Crookwell Road. It would include a 3200 square meter supermarket and an additional 1300 square meters of specialty stores.

The proponent is also seeking approval for a “mixed recreational facility”, which would include a motel, tavern, function centre and a sport centre as well as a service station, 80 square meters of associated retail, a number of fast food outlets and ‘shop-top housing’. All of which is currently permissible under the LEP.

A report tendered to Council last year showed that such a development would have a significant impact on the CBD, stifling economic growth for the next three years. However, it also identified a need for more competition to the big three supermarkets. The Heritage Group has been a vocal opponent of the proposal since its inception. Now, member David Penalver is calling for greater utilisation of pre-existing resources instead of splitting the town in two.

“Although a small retail centre or convenience store may be needed if more housing is built in the Mary’s Mount Road area, perhaps there should be more discussion about whether it is a good idea to keep expanding the boundaries of Goulburn - rather than encouraging better use of all the facilities already existing close to the city centre,” he said. “These facilities are not just the present range of shops and restaurants - but also schools, service stations, library, churches, child care centres and home care services such as meals-on-wheels.

“With Goulburn’s population growing so very slowly - it was about 23,000 some 35 years ago when my family came to live here - the visible result has been an emptying out of people from centrally located older housing and a large movement of people into outlying single housing, with the obvious effect of having more and more cars on the roads and needing suitable parking spaces.

“If there was encouragement to have town housing and rental apartments, especially for the more disabled, built within pedestrian distance of the CBD, maybe we’d have a more lively central shopping precinct and more interest in adapting our heritage building stock into modern uses.

“Some years ago, an advanced scheme for a large supermarket with underground parking was proposed for the Bourke/Cartwright/Verner streets site, which included the restoration of the disintegrating St Patrick’s Hall.

“If a new supermarket is needed in Goulburn, this seems to be an ideal location and would ensure that all local business activities were focused on the CBD. Otherwise, this empty and decaying site could surely be well suited for attractive two-storey town housing where a trip to the shops or doctor does not need an extra car journey.”

Goulburn’s population is estimated to grow by 5300 over the next 20 years. Council has also approved subdivisions of an additional 2000 residential lots on Marys Mount.

Mr Penalver believed if the development was approved, the CBD would “decay”.

Last week, Chamber of Commerce president Rob Walker told the Post his organisation was concerned about the Mary’s Mount proposal but that he couldn’t comment on behalf of its membership.

He said the chamber had met with Council planners last Monday and that it was in the process of putting together its submission on the entire LEP amendment.

He said he would like to see more research into the potential impacts on local retail before a decision was made on the development, rather than relying on just one report, and that there were a range of issues that Council needed to consider if small business was to be protected, including a review of the current rate structure.

The draft LEP contains a number of recommended reforms, which could see the approval process of development applications change in the region for the foreseeable future.

Among them are plans to limit commercial shop spaces in the zone surrounding the CBD to 450 square meters; prohibiting bulky goods premises in a number of the city’s industrial areas, as well as in Marulan; removing the permissibility of business offices in residential areas; and making sure all new CBD dwellings that have a facade facing the street are active and accessible to pedestrians. The draft LEP is currently on public exhibition and can be viewed online by visiting: http://www.goulburn.nsw.gov.au.

Council will accept written submissions until the close of business on Wednesday, March 13. Submissions can either be emailed to strategy@goulburn.nsw.gov.au or posted to Goulburn Mulwaree Council, Locked Bag 22, Goulburn, 2580.