Hill PDA Proposal Letter Template - Hastings Council

ABN 52 003 963 755
3 rd Floor 234 George Street Sydney
GPO Box 2748 Sydney NSW 2001
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4 July, 2012
Peter Cameron
Port Macquarie Hastings Council
By email: Peter.Cameron@pmhc.nsw.gov.au
Dear Peter,
Re: Submission on Draft Structure Plan from Sovereign Hills
As per your instructions I have reviewed the letter of objection from Hopkins Consultants on behalf of Sovereign
Hills. The submission objects to the draft structure plan because it would allow bulky goods retailing on land
between the new and old Oxley Highways near Major Innes Road. I disagree with deferral of the matter for the
reasons discussed hereunder.
The area has been under consideration for some time under the Urban Growth Management Strategy (UGMS).
The background to the retail component of the UGMS was a 2010 report by Hill PDA being a review of Council’s
Retail Strategy. There were a number of conclusions from that study including the following:
Firstly there were a number of requirements for a successful bulky goods cluster being:
Large land area preferably on the fringe of a major or regional shopping centre;
Main road frontage or strong visual exposure from a main road that carries considerable traffic;
Having a large trade area and being located in the middle of, or near the entry of, the trade area;
Preferably having a trade area that is affluent and/or experiencing household growth.
The subject site on the corner of the old and new Oxley Highways is an ideal location that meets the above
requirements.
Secondly there is a shortage of sites for future growth of bulky goods retailing. In the Port Macquarie market the
usual form for bulky goods retailing is low cost single storey construction with outdoor at grade car parking.
Parking under the retail level in a semi-basement car park is possible but the feasibility becomes questionable in
non-metropolitan areas.
Thirdly demand for bulky goods in Port Macquarie will increase at around 1,000sqm to 1,200sqm (GLA) every
year which translates to a required land area of around 1ha every four years. Around 24,000sqm of bulky goods
floor space is required between 2009 and 2031.

Fourthly whilst demand increases gradually, supply often steps up in quantum leaps due to the large formats of
bulky goods retailers. A super centre with one or two anchor tenants and 15 to 20 specialties could be as large
as 20,000sqm.
Fifthly a single retailer such as Masters hardware house requires a significant floor area of 13,500sqm and a site
area of around 3ha. A large proportion of the building is used for storage of home building supplies and a
significant proportion of trade relates to wholesale trade. This is a model which blurs the boundary between
retailing and industrial use. We understand that Masters is keen to have a store in Port Macquarie and the
subject site is ideally suited.
Lastly There are very few, if any, remaining opportunities in Lake Road and Hastings River Drive. The best
location for a significant expansion of bulky goods (super centre or cluster) is along Oxley Highway between the
Pacific Highway and Innes Lake. This is the main entry point to Port Macquarie from the highway. The site has
considerable visual exposure from the road and accessibility is excellent.
Under the DCP Sovereign Hills may have up to 5,000sqm of bulky goods retailers – but this is insufficient to meet
long term demand (say 25,000sqm over the next 20 years) nor is it sufficient to accommodate a large format
retailer like a Masters store which requires 13,500sqm.
For all the above reasons, I believe that deferral of the matter, as recommended in the letter of objection, is not
necessary.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us in our Sydney office on 02 9252 8777.
Yours sincerely,
Adrian Hack, (BTP, MLE, MPIA)
Principal
File Name: C11237 Port Macquarie Reponse to Submission by Soverign Hills on Draft Structure Plan
Date Printed: 4/07/2012 1:28:00 PM
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