The mall’s owners Comet (Aust) Pty Ltd, a part of the Bachrach Group, yesterday lodged a development application with Dubbo City Council to make an expansion to the current shopping centre.

Under the application, an additional 3600 square metres of leasable shop space and 160 extra car parks will be made available.

Included in that parking scheme will be an undercover area as well as easily accessible rooftop parking.

The project would commence next April and be ready before the end of 2011.

The application was announced at Orana Mall’s annual Christmas drinks, which were held at the Macquarie Inn last night.

Steve Gooley, the former Orana Mall centre manager who is now the general manager of Bachrach Group, told current tenants that there were already plans to bring new retailers to Dubbo.

“Discussions have commenced with a number of fashion retailers that will be opening new stores in this development once it is completed,” Mr Gooley said.

“They have been asking us for a number of years for a shop at Orana Mall.

“The development application states a development value of $16.2 million.

“On top of this will be shop fits and additional works which will exceed $20 million.”

After the announcement was made, Mr Gooley spoke to the Daily Liberal and reaffirmed his company’s commitment to Dubbo.

“This will bring in 160 jobs in the development phase, and 100 new jobs in the normal running of the extension of the shopping centre, and 15-25 new retailers, which is a fantastic thing for Dubbo,” he said.

“There has been an enormous amount of escape expenditure out of Dubbo in the last five years and this will go a very long way to stopping that.”

ben.walker@ruralpress.co m