The Largs community has launched a campaign to relocate a proposed neighbourhood shopping centre for the suburb to another area.
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Spokeswoman for the group and Largs hotelier Vicki Woods, said plans to build a small centre on the corner of Church and High streets Largs were ludicrous.
Mrs Woods said the developer has already purchased homes to make way for the centre which is on the eastern fringe of the Largs township and a stone’s throw from a floodplain.
She said an application has been made to rezone the land from residential to commercial, paving the way for construction to start and possibly setting a precedent for more commercial development in the area.
Mrs Woods said a location closer to the neighbouring suburbs of Bolwarra and Bolwarra Heights would be preferable and better for business sustainability. “Bolwarra, Mt Harris is where the growth is, not Largs,” Mrs Woods said. “We’re not against the centre, we just oppose where the proponent has chosen to locate it,” she said.
The Largs development came under scrutiny at a Maitland City Council meeting this week when councillors discussed its Maitland Centres Study Review.
“This site has had issues with storm water and parking and if it goes ahead it will be a massive over development of the site,” Mrs Woods said. “The developers have already purchased two properties on the site but they are yet to be rezoned commercial.
“The council report on the centres study said the central area of Bolwarra and Bolwarra Heights are the fastest growth areas in the Maitland local government area. The ideal location for this centre would be on the corner of Lang Drive and Paterson Road,” Mrs Woods said. “The people of Largs can get over the East Maitland in five minutes now with the third river crossing so it’s quicker to go to East Maitland than Lorn,” she said.
Central Ward councillor Arch Humphery said the current proposed location for the shopping centre is dangerous with a school and preschool close by. “This is the most dangerous intersection in Largs and building a supermarket in this location would lead to an increase in traffic and parking. The pre-school is just up the road and it is one street behind the local primary school,” Cr Humphery said.
Mrs Woods’ husband Bruce, said the centre should be located closer to the new housing estates of Bolwarra and Mt Harris, not in the back streets of Largs.
