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5 September 2003
Big W plans unveiled
ReferencesIn a development application filed this week, Big W unveiled the plans for its proposed discount department store at the intersection of Market and Perry streets in Mudgee.
The plans are now on display at Mudgee Shire Council chambers, where members of the public are urged to inspect them and comment on them in writing through September 19.
Big W has proposed building a store with a heritage facade that would blend with the appearance of existing historic structures lining Market Street.
The store would sit on the rear half of the property, backing on to Short Street and facing an 81-car parking lot located between the front of the store and Market Street.
Public comment since the announcement of Big W's plans to come to Mudgee, including a number of letters to the Mudgee Guardian, have been critical of the parking lot facing Market Street.
Council staff members stressed that this initial development application, like any other on a major project such as this, represents only a starting point for discussions of the ultimate design.
A spokesman for Big W said the proposed store would provide 120 to 140 permanent part time jobs.
"We would welcome applications from the staff of Kelletts," he said.
Drawings provided with the Big W development application showed trees and a heritage-style fence partially screening the parking lot from view on Market Street.
Cars would enter and exit the proposed parking lot from Perry Street, according to the development application.
The store building itself would take up more than half of the existing Kelletts site, according to the drawings. The roof, set below the roofline of the adjacent buildings, would be flat with a central arch over the store entrance.
Plans showed the foyer-style main entrance would be bounded by six speciality retail stores, three either side, protruding from the building's main face.
The development encompasses 5,335.4 square metres of land, which includes a detached Short Street residential dwelling that will be demolished.
Big W plans to demolish all of the existing buildings on the site to create a gross floor area of 4739.1 square metres, plus and additional 596.3 square metres for the six separate specialty retail stores at the front of the main store.
The discount department store will expand on the current trading space offered by Kelletts from 2,263 to 3,739 square metres.
However, the footprint of the proposed development will produce an encroachment of the store buildings onto Perry and Short Streets by 10.13 and 6.60 metres respectively, which will result in a loss of parking spaces along the eastern side of Perry Street.
The car park will incorporate a 2.5 metre wide pedestrian link along the eastern boundary adjoining the former Norton's building.
Vehicle entry and exit points will be through two separate crossovers linking the parking lot to Perry Street, the development application said.
In addition Big W wants to increase the parking supply to the library car park from 22 spaces to 33 to help accommodate semi-trailers accessing the proposed loading dock.
The proposed loading dock will cater for semi-trailers up to 19 metres in length, which will enter and exit via Short Street.
Despite community concern Mudgee Shire Council senior town planner Catherine Van Laeren said the development reflects some of the style of the neighbouring buildings.
"We're looking at their materials, the scale and the proportion, because we don't want them mimicking that Grand Victorian style look the existing buildings either side, like the post office or the old town hall," Mrs Van Laeren said. "But we do believe the development will provide a visual link between those heritage items," she said.
The planning and development consultants for the Big W development, Ratio Consultants noted the setback of the proposed development actually gave greater prominence to the neighbouring buildings.
In Ratio's Statement of Environmental Effects, submitted to council it stated, "Given the particular locational characteristics of the subject site, the proposed site does not break or interfere with the built form of an established shopping centre. It is appropriate in this particular circumstance, and in functional terms will reinforce this section of the CBD and Market Street in particular."
"We need to be very specific with this, we could either approve the application with conditions, ask them to make amendments or completely refuse the application," Mrs Van Laeren said.
"The economic and social impacts of a development like this always concern us."
The development plans are available for viewing in the council foyer. Questions and comments should be directed to Catherine Van Laeren on 6372 5888.
A spokesperson for council emphasised that all public comments must be submitted in writing to become part of the official record and be considered1 .
26 April 2004
Street sale price $446,000
Big W has agreed to pay nearly half a million dollars for the strips of Perry Street and Short Street it requested to make its proposed new store fit on the site previously occupied by Kelletts, according to a briefing paper prepared for the new Mudgee Shire Council.
The Big W complex will be one of three contentious issues discussed at an extraordinary meeting this Thursday evening by the new incoming council.
Council will be asked if it supports offering up to $30,000 in waived tipping fees to support the project.
Council will also be asked to note the selling price of council footpath land of $446,014.80 to Woolworths and that after placing the intent to sell the footpath land on public exhibition, council received only four responses from the public - two supporting the project and the offer to waive tipping fees to the value of $30,000, and two apparent form letters expressing general opposition to the Big W project.
Mudgee Shire Council assistant general manager Kathy Woolley said in her report to council, "Both letters opposing further support of the Big W development have been responded to with a request for more information.
"These letters contain allegations of deceitful and inadequate assessment of the development application.
"This has been rejected in replies to these letters, but council has sought from the authors more details that validate these allegations so further investigation, if necessary, could occur."
Ms Woolley also said the protest letters, "appear to be form letters that were widely circulated during the recent election from an unknown source". A number of business owners in Mudgee have said copies of the same form letter were distributed to their places of business, but that they chose not to sign the letters and send them to council as requested.
Ms Woolley said council has instructed its solicitors to prepare a sale of contract deed of option to enable the return of the land to council if the development should not reach occupation stage within a two year time frame from the approval date and deed of agreement to cover site works.
She said council would use the proceeds of the sale of footpath land to upgrade Perry Street between Market and Short Streets similar to its treatment of Market and Church streets, including the same kerb and gutter profile, street furniture and lighting, underground power and the road surface to be replaced with a hot mix surface.
"A peer review was sought on the assessment of this development application which re-confirmed the authenticity of this process and a review by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) Western Regional Development Committee considered in detail traffic management issues," Ms Woolley said.
"Council is now requested to finalise its position on this matter so the developer can be advised.2 "
4 May 2004
Back flip on tipping fees
The new Mudgee Shire Council has decided against offering up to $30,000 support to Big W in waived tipping fees.
Although the council agreed to continue to implement previous resolutions of council regarding the Big W development, and to put the cost of the land sale and its associated costs on public exhibition, it voted against the $30,000 waived tip fees because it feared setting a dangerous precedent.
The motion to not waive tipping fees was moved by Cr Mike Williams and seconded by Cr John McGoverne.
Cr Williams said council could be opening a "Pandoras Box" if it gave this sort of assistance to big business wishing to open in town.
Cr Williams said another business had already asked for the same assistance and no doubt, others would too.
Cr Harold Martin was the only counsellor who agreed the tipping fees should be waived, not because he agreed that they should, but because the former council had given Woolworths its word and should keep it.
Cr Loneragan told the meeting that although he was not in favour of giving Big W financial assistance in kind, he did not want the developers, the Kellett family or Woollworths to take it as a slight against them.
"In no way is is any slight against the developers," Cr Loneragan said.
Cr Loneragan said once the fees are waived, if council refuses to do the same for another business, they then would feel slighted and he did not want this to happen3 .
6 August 2004
Big W work starts
With demolition of the old Kelletts complex already underway, Woolworths has selected a contractor to build its Big W store in Mudgee and two of the six specialty stores that will front Big W already have been leased.
The contractors, Inten Constructions of Lane Cove, Sydney are preparing to start demolition of the main Kelletts store by August 18. Local contractors already have begun dismantling the rear of the former Kelletts complex.
The leasing agent for Big W, Hugh Bateman of the Property Shop, said two specialty stores already have been leased to businesses he did not identify. He said the remaining four specialty stores have received strong local and national retail interest.
"Confidence is definitely growing in Big W. It's opening up new retailing opportunities for local people, and once the building, complete with landscaping, is finalised the community at large will be very pleased with the project," Mr Bateman told the Mudgee Guardian and Gulgong Advertiser on Wednesday.
Inten Constructions boss Cameron Stewart confirmed demolition of the front façade will take place later in the year.
Local tradespeople are being sought to carry out a range of jobs for the contractors, Inten who have called for interested companies to inquire at the site.
"We used local tradespeople for a previous commercial development we held the contract for in Mudgee, and we're definitely encouraging them to inquire again with the Big W development," Mr Stewart said.
Mr Bateman said the new store should be ready for business by mid 2005.
"It's a tremendous boost to our local economy, Mr Bateman said, "not only in the long term but during the construction stage when Inten will be bringing in people who no about will be spending locally during their stay."
Locally, Country Energy has already commenced the temporary relocation of its overhead powerlines in Perry Street, as an extension of its Market Street works program, while Telstra is relocating its fibre optic network.
The Mid-Western Regional Council also signed off on an option to sell 1624 square metres of public land surrounding the development and is now reinvesting the $400,000 from the sale back into upgrading its own street redevelopment.
Assistant General Manager Kathy Woolley said a cash component of more than $370,000 will be used to upgrade Perry Street between Market and Short Streets with a hotmix tar surface, redevelop kerbs and guttering and radically improve the Market Street streetscape.
Council will also invest money into relocating its sewer and storm water systems. Ms Woolley said the project will provide an overall $200,000 improvement on council's assets.
"The advantage of this option to sell the land is that the proceeds will be used to upgrade our street to much higher standard, and that works scheduled for much later down the track can be brought forward to have completed by the time Big W gets here," Ms Woolley said.
"The quality will match that of Market Street," she said.
Woolworth's national development manager Paul Oates said the construction signalled a major accomplishment for the company in establishing itself locally.
"I'm very excited that at long last it's getting there," Mr Oates said.
A sentiment shared by Mr Bateman.
"It's certainly been a very long hall, but council has listened to public comment and the staff have diligently examined all areas of the project. It's been completely transparent from the word go," he said4 .
13 May 2005
Mudgee business booming
With the opening of Big W today boosting business activity at one end of the Mudgee shopping district, council has received 15 enquiries and three firm expressions of interest about developing a brand new shopping centre at the other end of the CBD.
The new shopping centre is dependent on the council's sale of their block bounded by Mortimer, Lewis, Gladstone and Church Streets which is currently being used as an unconstructed car park.
According to Kathy Woolley, Mid-Western Regional Council assistant general manager corporate, the sale of the block termed "The Mortimer Street Precinct" is dependent on the content of applications received by council.
"We have strict guidelines the development would have to adhere to," Ms Woolley said. "If we do not get anyone who meets the bill, then the sale of the land will not proceed."
Ms Woolley said the new shopping centre would most likely comprise of a major supermarket, a discount store and a range of specialty shops.
The recent Retail Study conducted by council has indicated the need for another major supermarket in Mudgee.
Ms Woolley said the current census shows that the shire is growing consistently at a rate of 1 per cent per year, and this population growth shows that the demand for this new shopping centre will be met.
"This growth is really positive and encouraging," Ms Woolley said.
"It has been a little more conservative than we were projecting in 2000, but considering the region is currently in the grip of a massive drought, we're still going strong and showing the potential for growth."
Ms Woolley said Mudgee was fortunate to have other industries it could rely on during periods of drought.
"Not only do we have agriculture, we have tourism, wine and mining. This diversity can prop the other areas up," she said.
Ms Woolley said the council had already received three submissions, two of which have been "really solid".
"Obviously investors think that this project is worth putting money into," she said.
Ms Woolley said that Mid-Western Regional Council's Development Control Plan will ensure the aesthetic nature of Mudgee's CBD will be maintained. The developers would have to demonstrate that their development would provide sufficient off-street and on-site parking.
Each prospective developer will also need to supply a brief report to accompany their expression of interest showing the benefits the community would receive from their proposal.
These include showing the quality of the shopping environment, the overall contribution of the proposed development to shopping choice and competitiveness in the Mudgee CBD and region, and the employment likely to be generated by the proposed development during both the construction and operation phase.
Council will review submissions and then short list applications for review by a panel of experts in the planning, design, local government and legal fields.
The deadline for parties to submit expressions of interest is 4pm on Friday June 24, 20055 .
9 September 2022
Mudgee Big W fire damage quickly averted and plant nursery confirmed to go
On Friday, September 2 Mudgee's Big W store was evacuated due to a refrigerator gas leak within the air conditioning systems. Emergency services were quick to the scene and clearance was provided by the local fire brigade to return shortly after.
A spokesperson for the company said the issue was resolved quickly.
"Thankfully with no injuries to team members or customers as well as no damage to property reported. The store closed early on Friday to accommodate work to rectify the maintenance issue, with the store now operating as normal," they said.
"We'd like to take this opportunity to thank our Team Members and local authorities for their assistance during the evacuation process."
Also, this week the same spokesperson for Big W confirmed that Mudgee's store will be removing its long-standing plant nursery as part of a wider company change.
"Big W has made the decision to remove our greenlife offering from stores to focus on other areas of our popular home range," the spokesperson said.
"Garden care products will remain in our range combined with our convenience offers in Home Improvement and Motoring, with some plants being brought back for specific events including Mother's Day, Christmas and Valentine's Day6 ."
10 November 2023
Buyer interest sought for Mudgee Big W site
The Big W Mudgee site is for sale.
Real Estate group Colliers is calling for expressions of interest (EOI) for the prominent Mudgee location which includes Big W and BWS Liquor.
Completed in 2005 at the former Kellets department store site, the centre comprises of a recently upgraded Big W, alongside BWS Liquor.
It is also supported by two additional national retailers EB Games and Muffin Break as well as the large car park space.
Big W is being offered to market by the Colliers team of James Wilson and Ben Wilkinson, with price expectations of $15 million.
The centre has a fully leased net income of $901,225 per annum according to Colliers and it is the largest freestanding retail tenancy available in the Mudgee CBD.
"Big W Mudgee has an outstanding occupancy history, having been fully occupied since opening in 2005," Mr Wilkinson said in a release.
"With total sales up 8 per cent in FY23, Big W has experienced strong annual sales performance, with a low occupancy cost of circa four per cent and supported by the catchments robust economy outputting $6.3 billion across numerous major industry sectors including agriculture, tourism, and mining, positioning itself as a secure long-term investment.
"The low occupancy rate combined with minimal specialty tenants will be attractive for private investors and unlisted funds."7