Paul Howard from Village Friends says the group was put
together to inform the community. “Because this development is going to have a
significant impact on the shops in the Erskineville village and the surrounding
residential streets we formed the group Village Friends and we have launched a
website erskinevillevillage.org”.
A petition in all the shops in the Erskineville village has
returned over 1000 signatures so far in addition to the 360 people who have
already signed online. Mr Howard says the appeal doesn’t end there. “There are
upwards of 30 or 40 people who have written to the Lord Mayor plus we have a
data base of some thousands of people who have expressed their concern about
the development,” he says.
Mr Howard says the big impact is going to be on parking,
traffic noise and congestion. “Erskineville
Road now is bumper to bumper from three-thirty in
the afternoon til seven o’clock at night.”
Owner of Café Sofia, Nick Vlahos says it’s the wrong spot
for a two-storey supermarket. “There’s no access, Erskineville Road is a bottle neck so
it’s clogged enough as it is.”
“If you assume that 60 percent of shoppers are driving
that’s 960 cars per hour looking for a car space,” Mr Howard says. Even if 40
percent of shoppers take their car he estimates that 640 cars will be looking
for parking each hour at peak shopping times. As described in the DA the
supermarket will have a rear loading dock and a basement car park with 31
spaces. “It’s an unwritten law that the majority of people drive to do their
shopping,” Mr Howard says.
The Village Friends are requesting the developer perform a
social impact study. Mr Howard says there isn’t a need for the supermarket in
the community. “Erskineville village is gradually going through a quiet
improvement, a very nice florist shop, the deli that wins the council awards
every year, some lovely restaurants, a new wine bar, we’ve got a great bakery,
and a multinational company like this is going to destroy the fabric.”
Photo: Angelique Watkins: Site of proposed development on
Erskineville Road Photo: Angelique Watkins
Source: South Sydney Herald December 2007 www.southsydneyherald.com.au/