Strip market plan

By Rebecca Fraser
NOBLE Park needs one thing to draw people back into the town’s main shopping strip a new supermarket.
That was the consensus on Tuesday night when Noble Park residents met to discuss how to promote local employment and growth in the region.
Tuesday’s meeting was the second Noble Park Activity Centre Structure Plan meeting held this week.
Other issues discussed at the meetings were Noble Park’s future housing, business, and transport needs, as well as open space areas and the environment.
The meetings were held as part of a council plan to develop a strategy to deal with the Noble Park’s growth over the next 15 years.
City of Greater Dandenong strategic planner Michelle Lee said the meetings would help Noble Park to build on its strengths and allow the community to discuss the key issues that would help to drive Noble Park forward in the next 15 years.
Ms Lee said council was trying to attract a large supermarket chain to the suburb.
She said council would offer the land and car park where the current Noble Park Senior Citizens’ Club was situated to a suitable buyer as this land backed onto the old FoodRite supermarket site and would allow a bigger shop to be built.
The Noble Park Senior Citizens’ Club is set to move to the Noble Park Community Centre next year.
Many residents and business owners say Noble Park’s only big supermarket, Coles, is unwelcoming and unsafe, and that an urgent boost to nearby car park security and surveillance is needed.
He said many people were travelling to Waverley Gardens or to Dandenong to do their grocery shopping, taking people away from the main shopping strip.
Jenny PembertonWebb, Greater Dandenong’s cultural development team leader said while a supermarket was needed in Noble Park, a mini shopping centre was not required.
“We just need a supermarket to add to the strip shops and draw people in,” she said.
“A mini shopping centre would kill off the strip shops.”
Ms McCready said Noble Park residents wanted a butcher, banks and more quality takeaway shops and cafes.
“We think we should build on the village and market atmosphere of Noble Park,” she said.
She said the group also felt that new retailers, especially migrants opening up shops, needed to be provided with retail training to provide a benchmark for the main shopping strip.
Coles Myer was unable to comment before Star went to print.
A session to provide feedback on the two meetings will be held on Wednesday 17 August at the Noble Park Senior Citizens’ Centre from 5.30pm.