By Michael Sinclair
DEVELOPERS should quickly address a lack of commercial development to service the suburbs of Taylors Hill and Hillside or otherwise feel the wrath of residents.
That’s the message from residents groups and a local councillor, who believes the area fails to meet needs of residents despite promising development for more than a year.
Sugargum Ward councillor Justin Mammarella last week told Star Taylors Hill developers Lawport promised to build a commercial precinct at the corner of Hume Dve and Gourlay Rd for more than 12 months but nothing has happened.
“We’ve been in contact with the developers and they’ve said: ‘we’re getting a move on, we’re going to start the planning soon’ – but what that tells me is that they haven’t even started the planning,” Cr Mammarella said.
“A lot of people are accusing them (the developers) of land-banking the whole lot – I feel sorry for the people that have bought land there and they still don’t have these services.
“I’m concerned that they are going to put more housing there but we don’t need any more houses – we need shops,” he said.
The Gourlay Rd precinct has developed quickly during the past five years, and the extension of Caroline Springs Blv has been marked as the next major extension to the Caroline Springs township.
But while the suburbs are connected by road, residents must travel as far as Watergardens Shopping Centre or Caroline Spings Square to do their shopping or for takeaway food.
“I think that’s very important that we get some development on the block because I always look at the site and think that it would be good if they build the shops,” Sugargam Residents Committee secretary John Pergolis said last week.
“You’ve got to jump in the car now to go to the shops. If they were closer you could walk there or ride your bike – I’m really hanging out for some shops.”
A sign has been erected on the vacant lot promoting a range of specialty food and goods stores and it has been set aside as commercial land.
But Cr Mammarella said he was concerned that developers would try to have the land re-zoned to residential status, so they could build more houses.
“They’re making money off people buying land – they’ve got to give back sooner or later,” he said. “They don’t have the shops there yet – well what are they waiting for?”
A spokesperson for Lawport did not return Star’s calls before the newspaper went to press last week.
