The future of the Bunnings site at Warrawong is unclear, following news the company will replace it with a store at Kembla Grange.
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A $30 million Bunnings store planned for Kembla Grange was given the green-light recently.
In 2016, Bunnings Properties lodged plans with Wollongong City Council to demolish existing structures at the Northcliffe Drive and Canterbury Road site and build a hardware and supplies store.
The hardware store will be built on a 40,000sqm block from the former Prime Television studios in Northcliffe Drive to the Princes Highway.
The store is set to take up about a third of the 40,000sqm site, with parking for 415 cars included in plans.
Andrew Marks, Bunnings’ general manager of property said they were pleased to have received development approval for a new Bunnings Warehouse at Kembla Grange, which will replace the current Bunnings Warrawong Warehouse.
Bunnings rent their current site at Warrawong.
Currently, 151 Property act as management agents for a private equity owner of the site; the same company that owns Warrawong Plaza.
“We’re not in a position to comment regarding the plans for the (Warrawong Bunnings) site at this point,” Nej Elia, national portfolio manager of retail at 151 Property said.
There were reports that Illawarra-based aged care provider IRT were interested in the Warrawong site.
However, a spokesperson told the Mercury on Friday that IRT has no plans to take over the site.
The Kembla Grange Bunnings application was determined by the Southern Joint Regional Planning Panel due to its high costs.
They recently approved it.
Mr Marks said team members will transfer from the existing warehouse to the new warehouse, and could be joined by more than 30 new team members.
“The timing of the project has not been finalised at this stage and we will continue to update the local community as soon as timings are known,” he said.