By JOHN JENNINGS
TRARALGON will soon be the home of a new shopping centre, with construction well advanced on the $32 million Coles-owned development at Traralgon East.
Residents in the area had been waiting patiently in recent years for progress on the potential retail site at the corner of Maffra Road and Marshalls Rd.
The 1.9 hectare Traralgon development, due to open in late August, provides a substantial Coles supermarket, Liquorland and several speciality retailers with a pharmacy and café, plus the new Early Education Childcare centre at the Marshalls Rd end of the car park.
Coles State Development Manager (Victoria), Simon Manley said the Traralgon Development will provide a convenient shopping experience for local residents and those in the surrounding suburbs, whether they choose to shop in-store or online.
“This is going to be an outstanding retail hub, offering residents a one-stop shop for all their needs,” he said.
“The neighbourhood centre will also play a key role in the growth and development of the Traralgon community into the future.”
The new precinct includes 225 car spaces with four electric charging bays and a Coles Online Click and Collect Drive-Through – dedicated lanes in an undercover section where groceries will be placed by staff into a car boot without customers needing to leave their vehicle. Normal Coles online shopping will be available.
The development also includes a 260kW rooftop solar system, capacity for rainwater storage to be reused for landscape irrigation while, in that theme, Coles has worked with suppliers to recycle soft plastic material for the car park asphalt.
The development has created more than 600 jobs during construction plus hundreds of ongoing positions when the centre opens.
Bluebird Early Education will operate the purpose-built childcare centre, catering for an estimated 100 children aged from five to six years.
Parents can join the waiting list by emailing, bluebirdelc.com
Expressions of interest remain open for the café site. For details phone Patrick McFadden at Accord Retail Leasing on 0412 925 291 or email at patrick@accordretail.com.au.
Birdseye: An aerial view of work well under way at the new Coles shopping complex at Traralgon East; the Early Education Centre is shown bottom left. Photographs supplied
