A $750,000 project to transform a prominent site in the centre of Dubbo formerly used by Centrelink into an upmarket shopping space has received approval and a $72,000 break.
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Developer Macquarie Commercial Property sought to change the use of and refurbish 188 Macquarie Street from offices to allow five proposed retail tenancies within the property that had been without permanent tenants for more than two years.
The national names proposed for the $750,000 first stage of the project were already located in Orange and Tamworth as well as other regional cities, the developer advised the council.
Dubbo City Council granted approval to the application in September, but included as a condition an urban roads contribution of more than $138,600.
The developer appealed the sum and after strident debate at the council meeting this week, the contribution was cut by more than $72,000 to about $66,000.
In a report to the council, environmental services director Melissa Watkins said “it was considered that support for the requested variation without suitable quantifiable traffic data (would) result in a significant adverse precedent for the implementation” of the contributions plan with any future retail development.
Macquarie Commercial Property company secretary Anna Samuels attended the meeting and appealed to councillors to agree to the lesser sum, and said she was a proponent of a strong vibrant central business district (CBD).
“I have concerns regarding the declining retail opportunities in the main street,” she said.
“I believe we need to encourage establishment of more diverse retailers to balance the increasing number of service providers located in the main street if we are going to remain a vibrant main street.”
Planning services firm Geolyse had earlier advised the council that Macquarie Commercial Property believed the development would generate fewer trips than the rates set out in the plan and that it would provide a material public benefit in the Macquarie Street public domain, arguments reiterated by firm director Matthew Thorne at the council meeting.
Cr Allan Smith moved the recommendation from the director that the council not accede to the request from the developer and advise the company to undertake traffic analysis.
He said if the development went ahead, there would be more traffic.
If they were going to reduce the contribution, making ratepayers bear more future costs, the developer needed to bring forward data to back up the argument, he said.
Cr Bill Kelly spoke against the motion and Cr John Walkom asked if there was “somewhere in the middle (they) could meet” and urged his colleagues not to draw out the process.
Cr Tina Reynolds said it was not worth losing retailers and a developer from Dubbo.
Cr Smith warned them it was “risky” to adjust the contribution without the data, but his motion was lost 1-7.
Cr Kelly moved that they agree to the developer’s request, which set the contribution at $66,367.
Cr Walkom, who seconded the motion, said it was based on substance and was “not something plucked out of the air”, a statement Cr Smith rejected.
Cr Ben Shields, who was chairing the meeting, said he had some “sympathy for Cr Smith’s argument” and that it was a “balancing act”.
He said the CBD was under stress and that he thought ratepayers understood.
“I want to put on record my sympathy for Cr Smith’s argument,” Cr Shields said.
“That being said I’m going to vote to let them come.” Cr Kelly said the property had been vacant for 2.5 years and the council would collect $66,000 in contributions, and his motion was carried seven votes to that of Cr Smith’s.