There’s often a cost to progress, but it’s a shame when that price is paid by people who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Eighteen stores at Stockland Green Hills will close in the coming weeks before work on the next phase of the major expansion project begins on September 1.
There is no doubt that the $372 million revamp will ultimately create more jobs and transform Green Hills into a shopping hub to rival the heavy-hitters of Newcastle.
Obviously, this has positive implications for Maitland’s economy.
Judging from the artist’s impressions of what the finished product will look like, the expanded shopping centre will be something to look forward to. But that’s little solace for workers who have been cut loose by employers who are closing their doors.
Of the 24 retail outlets touted as either re-locating or closing, only six will re-open at the Green Hills centre in the near future.
The closure of so many businesses means one thing for sure – there will be more Maitland residents looking for work in the coming weeks.
The Mercury spoke to one of those people – 22-year-old Gillieston Heights resident Keira Prescott, who found out on the weekend that she will lose her job as a barista at a Green Hills cafe when it closes.
While Ms Prescott said she was doing her best to remain positive, her major concern was making repayments on a $14,000 car loan she was granted about a month ago, when she was under the impression the cafe would move – not close.
She has taken to social media in recent days to ask if anyone knows of jobs in the Maitland area that she could apply for.
Ms Prescott should be congratulated for her proactive attitude.
But questions remain about how many employees of outlets at Stockland Green Hills will soon be job hunting and how much notice they received that they’d be out of work.
It’s obvious that there has been major construction work at the site for months and Stockland has been transparent throughout the process, saying that the revamp would mean re-locations and closures would be unavoidable.
Ultimately it’s the responsibility of store managers, franchisees and companies at a national level to ensure their employees are given the best chance to land on their feet – rather than simply being turned away for reasons beyond their control.
Nick Bielby
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has worked as a journalist since 2011. Having joined the Newcastle Herald in 2017, he won a Walkley Award in 2019 with Donna Page for their investigation 'Dirty Deeds', which exposed the decades of illegal dumping of toxic material in and around a Hunter waterway.
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has worked as a journalist since 2011. Having joined the Newcastle Herald in 2017, he won a Walkley Award in 2019 with Donna Page for their investigation 'Dirty Deeds', which exposed the decades of illegal dumping of toxic material in and around a Hunter waterway.
