Published on Tuesday, 11 July 2023 at 1:12:54 PM
Planning for a $77 million expansion of Eaton Fair Shopping Centre with inclusion of a third storey cinema has moved a step closer following a June Dardanup Shire Council decision to provide its support for conditional approval of the project and refer it onto the next stage of State Government assessments.
The project includes new retail and entertainment tenancies, 26 residential dwellings and a new entertainment and leisure precinct with cinema and gym, plus modifications to access arrangements.
Dardanup Shire President Mick Bennett said the development would transform the shopping centre into a vibrant town centre and represented a world class approach to urban planning.
The spectacular town centre design has been achieved through a lengthy collaborative approach between the Shire of Dardanup and shopping centre developers Citygate Properties.
Cr Bennett said the design had been guided by the Eaton Fair Activity Centre Plan – first endorsed by the WA Planning Commission in 2017 and amended three years later with updated concepts – plus a Design Review Panel convened by the Shire of Dardanup and including some of WA’s most highly-qualified urban design experts.
The panel reviewed the design and provided input for amendments three times prior to Citygate lodging its Development Application with the Shire this year, ensuring a significant and positive contribution to the community would be achieved.
Following Council’s support, the project will now be assessed by the Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP).
*UPDATE: JDAP has now assessed and approved the development.
JDAP is an independent decision-making body comprised of three technical experts and two elected local government members but administered by the State Government to assess certain development application types, usually of a high value.
Prior to giving its support, Council considered a planning report provided by an independent consultant and commissioned by the Shire of Dardanup and four public submissions received from residents within the Activity Centre Plan boundary during an advertised period of public comment.
In response to feedback, Council made its support conditional on further detailed designs to come later as the project progresses, addressing design review comments as well as sustainability and amenity considerations such as detailed elevation plans, noise management, waste management and landscaping.
Cr Bennett said the development application for expansion of Eaton Fair proposed a high-quality and coordinated expansion.
“We will continue to work with proponents Citygate Properties to ensure the overall development achieves objectives of the Eaton Fair Activity Centre Plan with synergies to our new Shire Library, Administration and Community Centre, currently under construction,” Cr Bennett said.
Relocation of the Shire of Dardanup to its new building early in 2024 will make way for the expansion of Eaton Fair onto the current site.
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