South side supermarket developer to learn fate as plans go to council meeting

A report is set to go before Tamworth Regional Council at its final meeting for 2023 on Tuesday, December 12, recommending councillors tick off on a new shopping complex on Goonoo Goonoo Road.

The proposed development, which is located near the Transgrid substation, has been touted as a means to make shopping more convenient and accessible for locals and visitors.

"The proposed development is expected to have a positive social impact through the provision of retail services to the locality," the report states.

"The proposal is also likely to create jobs during construction and operational phases."

If approved the site will be cleared to make may for a new building and car park.

It's proposed the supermarket will be housed in one part of the building, and the fit-out of future retail stores will be subject to separate approvals.

What the supermarket will be has not been included in the plans.

Three hundred and thirty nine onsite parking spots will be available, 12 accessible parks, and 18 spots for bicycles.

Four electric vehicle charging stations will also be included.

As part of the planning process, the developer was forced to carry out an 'Economic Impact Assessment' to ensure the new supermarket would not impinge on the existing retail hierarchy.

The assessment found the new supermarket would fill a shortfall in shopping locations on the south side of Tamworth, with the only other full scale supermarket being an IGA in Calala.

The assessment also found other supermarkets in Tamworth, specifically the CBD shopping strip, will experience a loss of about 4.7 per cent in the 2025/26 financial year once the new supermarket opens.

"None-the-less the centres are expected to recover quickly due to population and retail expenditure growth," the report says.

Access to the proposed supermarket is reliant on a new roundabout being built at the intersection of Craigends Lane and Goonoo Goonoo Road.

The roundabout is part of the NSW Government's $40 million Goonoo Goonoo Road upgrade, which the report notes has no official timeline.

"As the developer has not proposed any interim access arrangement for the proposal, the construction of the roundabout on Goonoo Goonoo Road will need to be completed prior to the issue of an Occupation Certificate," the report says.

Once the roundabout has been built, and the supermarket is operational, the new development is expected to generate an additional 350 trips on a weekday morning, and about 690 trips in the afternoon.

"The Traffic Impact Assessment found that there is adequate capacity in the surrounding road network to cater for the traffic generated by the proposed development," the report says.

Internal roads will also be constructed and will be connected to the existing roundabout at the intersection of Goonoo Goonoo Road and Jack Smyth Drive.

Councillors will vote on whether to grant development consent on Tuesday.