An Aldi store proposed for Woonona has been rejected by Wollongong City Council.
The store, proposed for a site next to the historic Bulli courthouse and police station, was refused under delegated authority on five grounds, namely heritage and stormwater concerns.
Plans for the two-storey supermarket and a retail shop at the corner of the Princes Hwy and Hopetoun St were unveiled in August last year - just weeks after the proposal for a Woolworths supermarket at Bulli was placed on exhibition.
VOTE IN POLL: Should the Woonona Aldi have gone ahead?A decision on the Woolworths application by the council is still pending.
It would be the second supermarket in Woonona-Bulli, alongside Franklins.
The plans prompted concern from northern retailers, who felt threatened by having two rival chains within 1km of each other.
The former Bulli police station and courthouse, which have heritage status under the Local Environmental Plan (LEP), would have been refurbished.
But council planners said the plan was inconsistent with the LEP due to its close proximity to the buildings.
It also had inadequate stormwater management and disposal of stormwater.
Meantime, Target has confirmed it is interested in bringing a second store to the Illawarra, but would not say whether it might be at the $95 million Corrimal shopping centre proposed by Valad Property Group.
Plans for the shopping centre project are up in the air, with Wollongong council awaiting revised plans and Valad yet to confirm its future intentions.
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