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$21m for Cumberland Park shops upgrade

Local News16 Jul 12 @ 10:00am by Tim Williams

A $21 MILLION upgrade of the Cumberland Park Shopping Centre, including an underground carpark, will start this time next year.

The redevelopment will include rebuilding the Woolworths supermarket at almost twice its existing size, and enlarging and refurbishing the Big W.

In May 2011, Mitcham Council rejected Woolworths' original proposal, which did not include a basement carpark and would have resulted in a loss of 16 parking spaces.

A revised proposal, with the basement carpark boosting the spaces from 460 to 554, was approved last December.

The approval was subject to Woolworths supplying details of ventilation for the basement and a suitable construction plan.

A Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was yet to submit that information to the council.

"We are currently working through the details," she said.

"However (we) hope to be underway by mid next year."

Construction would take up to a year, she said.

Under the revised plan, shoppers would no longer be able to drive into the centre from Cross Rd. Entry to the underground carpark would be from Little St.

More street trees would be planted along Little and Eaton streets, plus large shade trees within the existing carpark.

The council said the small businesses at the northern and southern ends of the centre would not be affected by the development.

Woolworths and Big W have operated on the site since 1977 and no substantial improvements have been made to the centre since.

Six of the seven people who responded to public consultation on the project were in favour.