12:00a.m. 1st July 2008

| By Carolyn Tucker

Parts of Caloundra are expected to be among the fastest growing areas on the Sunshine Coast, and a new shopping centre has already been proposed for the suburb of Bellvista to meet burgeoning demand.

The Oasis Property Group has submitted a development application to council for a neighbourhood shopping centre at Rawson Street, Caloundra West.

It will include a supermarket on 1250sq m, specialty shops such as a newsagency, bakery, butcher and coffee shop, and a family restaurant-tavern on 500sq m.

Town planners Murray and Associates said they had received extremely positive feedback about the proposal from residents who were looking forward to being able to shop locally.

Senior town planner Blake Bell said residents were picking up bread and milk from the nearest service station and had to travel outside their suburb to buy the basics. “We know they are crying out for a centre,” Mr Bell said. “At a community consultation meeting on site there was not one negative comment.”

Mr Bell said 1256 dwellings had been built or approved at Bellvista and the government’s push to fast-track the land release at Caloundra South confirmed the area was on the cusp of a boom.

He said the company still had several hurdles to clear before the centre was approved, but he was hopeful that it could be completed in about 12 months.

“Obviously we would like to have it built as soon as possible but we have to go through two other application processes with council,” Mr Bell said.

“We are expecting approval of this application within two months and would hope the centre was built by mid-2009.

“Our consultation results have proven that residents want it and we know it will be a major development area in the near future.”

Little Mountain residents were last week up in arms over a similar proposal to build a shopping centre on Sugarbag Road.