A MAJORITY of the people who attended a public meeting discussing the future of North Park were opposed to rezoning the land to allow a development centred around a major retailer.
Swan Hill Rural City Council and the land's owners, the State Government, want the land rezoned to 'business one' from a park and recreation zone, which could open the door for a large department store to move in.
About 60 people attended the meeting at the Swan Hill Region Information Centre, and most who spoke believed a large retailer at North Park would damage Campbell Street shops by taking business away from Swan Hill's CBD strip.
"At the moment we have a personal and country atmosphere and that is something that can't be replicated in a box setup," Wood and Co managing director Brian Wood said.
Cleelands Auto Service's Gerald Cleeland added: "We need multinational companies to come to this area but my belief is we have spots for them to go other than taking crown land off the people of Swan Hill."
While most supported the idea of a new retailer in town, they argued that a large, box-style shopping development didn't match the character of Swan Hill.
"People come to the area for fishing, camping and strip shopping - they don't come here for Big W," Beardsley's Newsagency owner Peter Beardsley said.
Other sites suggested for a business one development included the existing council offices, shop sites along Campbell Street and residential areas near the CBD.
There were also suggestions that North Park should house a new school or be used to expand Swan Hill College.
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Supporters of the rezoning argued a major retailer would boost Swan Hill's economy and compliment the existing CBD.
Resident Helen Watkins said a shopping precinct at North Park would create flow-on growth in the town.
"I'm open to other ideas, but at the moment I think it's the best option. It would create opportunities because the retail sector employs a lot of young people," Ms Watkins said.
"If you can get something like a plaza in Swan Hill, you're going to get all types of businesses."
Another resident, Sue Davis, said a big retailer would bring people to Swan Hill's "small, personalised businesses" in the CBD.
Council's director of development and planning Leanne Mulcahy dismissed rumours that Big W had already signed a deal with council if the rezoning was approved and said all proceeds of the sale would go directly to the State Government.
Speaking to The Guardian earlier this month, Ms Mulcahy said rezoning of the land would provide an opportunity for a large format retailer to move in. She said this would boost employment, reduce the loss of retail expenditure to other areas and consolidate Swan Hill's position as a regional centre.
The feedback from Tuesday's meeting will help shape an independent economic impact review of the proposed rezoning, which is being carried out on behalf of council by consultants Essential Economics.
Once the report is completed, a draft will be open to public comment before the final version is provided to an independent planning panel later this year. Their recommendation will be given to the state minister for planning, who is likely to approve the rezoning.
Essential Economics associate Nick Brisbane said his Melbourne-based firm had begun "a fact-finding mission" in Swan Hill this week, and had no bias for or against a commercial development at North Park.
"We're going to look at what Swan Hill needs over the next 15 to 20 years and we'll look at feedback of what Swan Hill needs to grow," Mr Brisbane said.
"We're not advocating, we're here to provide feedback to council."
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