Woolworths given food for thought

Woolworths in Erskineville has only been open for two weeks, but the establishment of the site has been five years in the making.

The contentious opening of the supermarket has sparked division among the Erskineville community. Opponents of the development have rallied for years due to fears of increased traffic congestion and the establishment of a supermarket monopoly in the area.

Paul Howard, a key leader in Friends of Erskineville (FOE), lamented the City of Sydney Council’s decision to approve the development application. But Mr Howard now wants to work with Council to reduce the impact of the supermarket on the surrounding area.

“[Former] Greens Councillor Chris Harris moved a motion for an impact study within the surrounding 500 metres, but the recommendations were ignored,” said Mr Howard.

“Now residents are trying to tell Council how best to deal with the decision they have made.

“Trucks are blocking access and parking has gone from bad to worse … the Council lacks a certain capacity to listen.”

A spokesperson for the City of Sydney confirmed a range of measures had been implemented in response to concerns over “large shopping trips”.

“The City of Sydney restricted shopping trolleys and limited car parking as part of the development approval, to discourage people from driving to the supermarket for large shopping trips,” said the spokesperson.

“The City also imposed further traffic calming measures and conditions to prevent large trucks from servicing the site.”

The City of Sydney noted they had previously refused a different DA for a supermarket in Erskineville.

“The Land and Environment Court upheld our refusal, but noted ‘there is no reason why there should not be a supermarket in Erskineville Urban Village Centre, indeed an appropriately-sized supermarket would anchor the centre and improve its viability and sustainability’,” said the Council spokesperson.

“City staff met with residents last week to discuss their concerns and will now review existing signage and line-marking in the streets immediately surrounding the supermarket to identify whether any additional treatments are required to reinforce existing traffic management measures.”

Ginnie Bromley, an Erskineville resident and student, welcomed the idea of a supermarket and hopes it will be cheaper.

“Ethically, I prefer to buy locally produced goods from local businesses and avoid chain stores. While there are ample supermarkets on King St [in Newtown], they are a half an hour walk from my house in the south of Erskineville, and the supermarket could be more convenient, if not cheaper,” she said.

“I like the atmosphere of Erskineville, and I’m not convinced that Woolworths was necessarily the best way to go, but it’s definitely a step up from the notoriously inflated prices of the Erskineville mini mart.”