Coles Group Property Developments wanted to replace an ageing IGA in Sydney’s south-west as interest in the rapidly transforming Austral town centre runs hot.
Coles acquired the 2.2ha site for $28 million in April of last year and filed plans with the Liverpool City Council for 249-255 Edmondson Avenue and 83 Tenth Avenue this month.
The Austral Village plans include a full-line supermarket, liquor store, 17 retail tenancies, a pedestrian walkway and about 2000sq m of land for a future facility to be acquired by the council.
Specialty retail such as a medical suite as well as a fitness centre and centre management are also part of the plans, which will help increase the gross leasable area from the existing 3400sq m to 6356 square metres.
The Nettleton Tribe-designed scheme also includes a carpark of 301 spaces behind the supermarket.
While Austral is predominantly low-density housing, plans for three towers of almost 500 apartments were fast-tracked for the suburb by the Housing Delivery Authority this year.
The suburb, 42km from Sydney CBD, is just north of Leppington train station where that high-density project is planned.
Interest in the area picked up in 2023 when the Camden and Liverpool councils teamed to create a joint planning proposal for a growth zone 20km from the Western Sydney International Airport.
Since then a number of high-profile developers have entered the market including Aland with its eight-tower plan as well as a seven-block precinct by Byron Development that was filed last year.
A GapMaps economic impact assessment included in the Coles proposal said the population surrounding this main trade area is expected to triple to 88,500 by 2039.
“Even with the potential development of the approved Woolworths at Austral Square (Eighth Avenue) and the proposed Coles supermarket at the subject site, there would be a gap of around 1056sq m in 2029 and 6809sq m by 2034,” the report said.
