The all important draft document which maps out the future of retailing in the city has already been on public exhibition and is set to be officially endorsed by council when it meets later this month.

However, the location of the next major supermarket to service the rapidly expanding residential growth in the area emerged as a major bone of contention following the public consultation period.

According to Bathurst Regional Council’s Local Environmental Plan (LEP) the area from Kelso through to Laffing Waters and wrapping all the way around 11 Mile Drive to Eglinton is earmarked as the main zone for housing development in decades to come.

At present the Trinity Heights IGA Supermarket is only 700 square metres and according to the strategy in its present form any growth would be capped to 1200 square metres under a classification of it being an existing small neighbourhood centre.

Hamish Thompson from Trinity Heights IGA said they believe they are ideally situated to become the area’s next large neighbourhood centre.

He said the current Bathurst CBD and Bulky Goods Business Development Strategy proposes that the next major supermarket in that precinct be developed at Laffing Waters.

“We believe our location has great potential for growth and shouldn’t be capped,” Mr Thompson said. “We’re only 700 square metres at present, so there’s certainly room for development to service what is becoming an increasingly busy area.

“We’re on the corner of two main feeder roads in Gilmour and Hereford Streets and get a lot of passing traffic. People call in here on their way home from work in the CBD and we also get residents from Raglan and out on the Oberon Road doing their shopping here.

“In years to come the population in the area will increase in line with council’s LEP and the developer doesn’t wants limitations set now so we can’t cater for this growth.”

Mr Thompson said a similar scenario existed at Westpoint IGA supermarket at Windradyne when it first opened 15 years ago.

“We had to wait a long time for the area’s population to grow and it was a struggle for a lot of years. However, that’s now paid off and trading is great,” he said.

“In the strategy it has allowance for growth up to 2500 square metres, although at present it’s only 480 square metres.

“We believe there is potential to expand there as well, but probably not the full size and more like 1500 square metres with room to expand when the need arises.”

Mr Thompson said they are confident council will see their view and amend their strategy accordingly.