By Charlene Macaulay
A new fresh food market will be coming to Point Cook after getting the tick of approval.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has given the green light for an undercover stall-based fresh food market spanning more than 8000 square metres on a parcel of land on Point Cook Road that sits between Saltwater Reserve and the Point Cook RAAF base
The market, called Starr Point Market, is expected to trade seven days a week and will sell a mix of fresh produce – including locally grown vegetables, meat and the like – and non-food items, including clothes, homewares and crafts, across 93 stalls.
It will also include basement parking, eight greenhouses and water storage facilities.
According to an economic impact assessment, the market is expected to achieve a $63.6 million turnover in its first year of operation.
Wyndham council knocked back plans for the market last year, which proposed a market double the size. Objections were also received from the Department of Defence and owners of the Sanctuary Lakes Shopping Centre, SOHO Point Cook and Tribeca Village Shopping Centre.
In making a decision, VCAT presiding senior member Jeanette Rickards and senior member John Bennett said the revised proposal had addressed many of the objections raised about the original plans.
“We consider that the advantages of allowing a market outweighs any disadvantages which may arise in allowing such a use,” the court transcript reads.
The market is the brainchild of Joe Schembri, who owns the land.
Mr Schembri said he still needed final sign-off from Wyndham council, which he hopes to achieve within the next six months, before construction will begin. From there, he anticipates an 18-month build.
“I think it’s going to be good for the whole of Wyndham, not only Point Cook,” he said.
“We don’t need to go on the other side of town … Wyndham residents will have their own food market without having to go over the West Gate Bridge.”
