Green light for Palmwoods supermarket with conditions

An artist's rendering of the proposed supermarket.

Palmwoods is set to get its first full-line supermarket after the Planning and Environment Court approved the long-disputed Coles-backed development on Palmwoods–Montville Road, ending a battle that has divided opinion for years. 

The approval, dated April 2, allows the  project to proceed subject to 87 conditions including completing major road upgrades near the towns rail overpass.  

The decision marks a major shift from last year, when Sunshine Coast Council rejected the proposal over concerns it sat outside the town centre, risked fragmenting Palmwoods’ traditional business heart and could undermine the village character many residents wanted protected. 

As the Gazette reported last fortnight, the case appeared to be heading towards a green light after the court appeal and the collapse of an earlier rival supermarket approval in the town centre.  

The approved development at 22 Palmwoods–Montville Road will include a 3869sqm full-line supermarket, a bottle shop and at least 187 car parks, with the building limited to 8.5m in height. 

A new four-way roundabout is to be built at the entrance to the supermarket linking Palmwoods–Montville Road, Margaret Street, Churchill Street and the new site access road.

Frontage works will include kerb and channel, underground drainage, footpaths and street lighting. 

Major conditions near overpass

Conditions also require further road upgrades at Palmwoods’ notorious intersections near  the rail overpass at Margaret Street and Jubilee Drive intersection and at the Woombye-Palmwoods Road and Chevallum Road intersection. 

The project owner has long argued Palmwoods had a “clear and unsatisfied need” for a full-line supermarket and says the project has been designed without specialty shops so it does not draw trade from the existing town centre.

On its project website, the developer says the supermarket would provide “choice, convenience and competition” while adding to the range of local services. The company has also said construction would take about 12 months once it is able to begin, although detailed design, engineering and further approvals still need to be completed. 

Supporters see the ruling as a long-awaited win for convenience and local grocery competition, while critics remain concerned the supermarket could split Palmwoods commercially and place further pressure on existing small businesses in the town centre.