Big plans for Irymple
August 3, 2011FISHERS IGA supermarket chain owner Alan Fisher is set to embark on one of the biggest developments in Irymple’s history.
THINK BIG: Fishers IGA managing director Alan Fisher says the time is right to develop in Irymple.
Mr Fisher plans to build his latest supermarket, a handful of retail stores and 50 townhouses at the intersection of Karadoc Avenue and Fifteenth Street.
Work on the supermarket and the first of two stages of retail shops is expected to start within eight to 12 months.
Mr Fisher owns the entire parcel of land encompassing the Irymple Hotel and the Orange Grove Caravan Park.
He plans to sell the hotel to the current publican and remove one of the hotel blocks near the Irymple pub.
Mr Fisher said the supermarket would be built to the rear of the pub with the carpark stretching into what is currently the caravan park.
He said he already had in-principle agreements with potential tenants for the first stage of retail shops.
“I’ve got an in-principle hand-shake agreement with three people who are interested in going in and I would think there’s an opportunity for a doctor or a chemist…I think there’s a number of opportunities for other tenants,” Mr Fisher said.
The development will necessitate closure of the caravan park which has proven a delicate issue given the number of residents in the park.
Mr Fisher informed residents of the park personally on Monday night.
“It was only fair and reasonable that they hear it from me as opposed to elsewhere, such as in the media,” he said.
“As you can imagine we got a very emotional response and, look, if that was me, I’d feel the same way.
“Their response was completely understandable. It’s their lives. If anything they were very kind to me.”
Mr Fisher said he’s now doing what he can to help residents find other accommodation including talks with Haven, MASP and Mildura Aboriginal Corporation.
The announcement this week is part of a plan that has been six years in the making.
“Irymple has probably needed a store for quite some time,” Mr Fisher said.
“I haven’t been convinced it’s needed a store quite this big, but after running the demographics again I think it’s probably ready now.”
Mr Fisher said he already had planning approval for the supermarket and now needed to go through the building and design approval process.
He said the supermarket would be similar in size to the IGA supermarket in Red Cliffs.
The new Fishers IGA development isn’t the only supermarket planned for Irymple.
Woolworths is planning a supermarket about 500 metres away on the opposite side of Fifteenth Street.
Mr Fisher said recent news of the Woolworths development was not the trigger for moving ahead now with his own plans.
“I suppose some people would say, ‘he’s only got his act together now because Woolworths are going in there’,” he said.
“If anything I think Woolworths probably slowed me down because it increases the risk.
“They’ve gone into a number of sites where you just wouldn’t think they would go into – they’re a very well-run organisation.
“I go ahead obviously knowing that that is a possibility in the future, and hoping it won’t happen in the future of course.
“I always bought these properties on the grounds that we were going to do that.”
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