179-193 Colac Road, Grovedale, VIC

As a local Waurn Ponds resident, I am disappointed at the businesses that are to be on this proposed development on the corner of Colac Road and Rossack Drive. We DO NOT need anymore 'convenience restaurants' such as KFC etc, nor do we need anymore gyms (there are a few gyms in the 3216 area) and we do not need another Child Care Centre. There is also another service station planned and again; there are enough of service stations in the 3216 area. We definitely DO NOT need anymore coffee shops (especially an American brand), this will only push out the local small coffee shops. All these proposed businesses are just repeat of what we already have in our area. Use some foresight and develop/propose more 'quality' retail stores. The promotion of fast food shops is not in the interest of the local community. To have a 'KFC' and a gym opposite is NOT a 'good look'. Also the rubbish and pollution in the area will increase, and the rubbish will go into the Waurn Ponds Creek. Businesses along the Waurn Ponds Creek already do not take responsibility for the management of their rubbish/waste, which most blows into the Waurn Ponds Creek. PLEASE DO NOT APPROVE THIS PROPOSAL FROM THIS DEVELOPER.

I agree with the previous commenter that the kind of shops proposed (ie 'convenience' restaurant) are not desired or required in this area. This area is already saturated with fast food places and big chain stores. There is a distinct lack of character, and almost no nice individual cafes and restaurants such as you find in Highton and Newtown where you can enjoy a dining experience or just sit and drink coffee with a lovely view. The area of the site is a habitat for birds of various species, from small grassland species to larger birds of prey, and so I would rather see it developed into parkland, with a couple of quality cafes and walks for exercise and enjoyment. There is already a natural track honed out by pedestrians not far from this site who cross the creek and walk to the shops. It could be beautiful if managed well. I also agree with the previous commenter that there is already a lot of waste littering the landscape which will only get worse if fast food stores are allowed to continue multiplying here. Please consider alternate development that will give people something to enjoy.

This is absolutely obscured to be adding in fast food , petrol station , gyms and childcare and coffee places when there is already 3 within 1km of each other.

The traffic is already heavy enough as it is especially at after work and before work times . The turn into rossack is always backed up as it is! This would just increase the traffic and produce more rear end accidents

2 childcare’s, 3 service stations and 2 drive thru coffee already exist? Why not make an independent suppliers section with butchers, fresh fruit and veggies. What about the impact on these businesses that already exist?

If you have to build something build something the public need like another medical bulk billed facility?

Or even maybe a huge new park and bike track ??? Waurn ponds has not had a local park in forever and a decade?

We do not need more coffee shops, junk food or childcare we have enough already

After all it is families that reside here?

I don’t think there has been enough consideration for how this will fit if the remaining adjacent blocks become a residential area as originally planned; chipping away at rezoning the area will reduce the appropriateness of building residential homes in the immediate pockets around it.

Waurn Ponds doesn’t need another petrol station considering there are so many in the area and we’re living in a world that’s quickly turning to renewables.

A better use of this space would be for providing opportunity for small businesses and cafes to pop-up and thrive.

Agree with above comments, there is just no character at Waurn Ponds shopping centre. There are no cafes catering to outside dining with good cafe food, no vegetarian or vegan cafes, no speciality clothing shops, just more of the same that you can find everywhere.
We don’t need any more fast food options, look around you, we have a obesity problem as it is. A green area included in the planning would be a great idea too, somewhere to sit under the trees instead of fast food, petrol stations, car parks etc.
Think of the planet and provide some green spaces in these developments please.

I am extremely concerned about this future development as a local owner of a gym across the road. It is at odds with the purpose of the land being set aside for residential zoning. The development is of a commercial nature and would be devastating to existing local business, as many of the businesses would be in direct competition. When purchasing my business 2 years ago, I was looking forward to the population growing across the road to assist my membership numbers. Now there is a proposed 1100m2 Corporately owned Gym in this development. The only way this gym will be viable is to close at least one or two neighbouring locally owned gyms, as it will service approximately 2500 members. As with all gyms in the area we have battled through lockdowns and the financial effects have been felt by all. None of us are even close to capacity and are competing with each other daily for members. There are 16 large gyms within a 5km radius and 20 in total. I also agree with previous comments regarding the need for parks and dinning. This is something Waurn Ponds/Grovedale does not have unlike many other suburbs. I have lived in Waurn Ponds for close to 20 years. I feel that local business and local people need support.

I am a long term resident and ratepayer of Waurn Ponds and have been watching this area develop over many years. There have been significant expansions of the Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre and other smaller shopping centres (eg. Waurn Ponds Homemakers Centre, Waurn Ponds Plaza and the Bunnings/Harvey Norman shopping complex) which are in close proximity to the proposed development at 179-193 Colac Road. The existing shopping areas have brought many large retailers and services to Waurn Ponds which include several gyms, petrol stations and convenience restaurants. I don’t understand the need for more of these retailers to be brought into this area when it is currently well serviced and will place unnecessary pressure on similar existing businesses. It doesn’t serve the community well to have established businesses struggle or close due to saturated markets that provide no new services to the area.
Has the Geelong City Council considered the traffic implications around the Colac Rd/Rossack Drv intersection at peak times? The exits from the proposed development are at already busy intersections where traffic enters Rossack Drive from the Colac Rd and at the Colac Rd/Geelong Ring Road intersection. There is often an underestimation between what traffic management reports consider to be fine for proposed developments and what the local residents and existing businesses eventually have imposed on them when new developments are built. It is usually more congested, especially at peak times, than what is planned for.
Perhaps the Council should look at developments that provide something different and interesting to Waurn Ponds instead of simply more of the same.

This is a really important and valuable parcel of land for the residents of Waurn Ponds, Belmont and Grovedale. The development of this land needs extreme consideration of the best way to utilise it for the people and the planet. We urgently need more green spaces, not more concrete and steel. Creating a green inspired retail development would be in everyone’s interests both physically, mentally and financially. The world is changing and we need inspired idea’s for future development’s not more of the same. This is a opportunity to do a development that benefits the public and the planet, other cities worldwide achieve this and so should we.

I am against the idea of yet another shopping centre being built in an already exhausted area, especially since the planned site was originally zoned as a residential area.

My major concern lies with the impact and increase this centre will place regarding traffic. The intersection of Rossack Dr / Colac Road is an incredibly busy intersection already with a number of accidents occurring frequently.There is currently a smashed vehicle on the side of Colac Road, left there after being involved in an accident. To increase the number of cars trying to enter either Rossack Dr or Colac Highway is just ridiculous.
I work on Rossack Dr and have to contend with traffic through that area daily. Peak times already see enough congestion surrounding that intersection.

Not to mention the impact the planned businesses will have on existing locally owned businesses in the area. It will be extremely devastating to see big corporations open up and potentially create disastrous competition for local businesses.

How anyone could think Grovedale needs more petrol stations, gyms, child care centres and fast food chains absolutely baffles me.

Adding a fourth service station onto the same 1km stretch of road seems extremely excessive, especially with another one only 600m around the corner.
We already have over 20 gyms within a 5km radius of this site, why are they even considering adding in another one?
Grovedale currently hosts 12 Child care centres with more close by in neighbouring suburbs of Waurn Ponds and Belmont, yet they're proposing another one.
Fast food outlets are already saturating the area, including locally owned Red Rooster & Bean Squeeze already on Rossack Dr, literally parallel to the proposed site.

What will the potential increased pollution from these fast food outlets mean for Waurn Ponds Creek running directly behind the planned site? This creek already sees a lot of rubbish and as a result, drainage doesn't work as well as it should and results in flooding.
I am also concerned about the wildlife surrounding this planned development and the negative affects this will create for the environment.