Warrnambool mayor Michael Neoh is floating the council’s idea that developers should consider building large retail premises above municipal-owned car parks in the central business district.

He revealed the concept after two city real estate figures criticised the council for dragging its heels on planning for future growth in major retail developments.

With the Homemaker Centre in the city’s east signing another tenant, the no vacancy sign is now up.

But real estate experts argue a lack of planning means if a major retailer wants to come to the city there is nowhere to set up a large store. Big W, long touted as being interested in a presence in Warrnambool, is up and running in Mount Gambier along with another Woolworths outlet, Masters, but why not here?

For years the chain had identified land in the city’s east — home of most of Warrnambool’s big retail outlets — as a preferred location. With options in the east dwindling, apart from under-utilised prospects at Gateway Plaza, the perennial argument of whether the CBD or the city’s fringe should expand are bound to resurface. 

Should the council be doing more to identify new parcels of land for retail development, or should the focus be on the CBD? The preference is that the market should decide. But it’s hard to argue when the CBD has had high vacancy rates.

Cr Neoh rightly suggests there are options for development, especially in the CBD. Several years ago there was a push to get individual landowners to band together in the hope they could facilitate a development capable of attracting a big retailer, but they couldn’t reach  consensus.

But the air space, as Cr Neoh calls it, above the city’s off-street car parks makes perfect sense. 

Developers would not need to find creative ways of incorporating car parking into their plans because it would already exist. In football terms, it’s a free kick, and it’s also a winner for shoppers. 

It’s ideas like this that we need to help revitalise the CBD. The challenge is finding a developer willing to bring the vision to reality.