Construction on a long-awaited shopping centre for Chisholm will begin by the end of the year, the developer has confirmed.
Chisholm Plaza, which received the green light from Maitland City Council last September, will include both a Woolworths and Aldi, along with BWS Liquor, and more than 660 parking spaces.
A founding director of development company Revelop - who are responsible for the site - Charbel Hazzouri, said planning for two supermarkets had "caused delay".
But he was confident the dual-store design would best serve the community.
"It will be a one stop, convenient location for residents," Mr Hazzouri told the Newcastle Herald on Friday.
Revelop purchased the site in January 2021 and began a redesign in consultation with council. When approval was announced last year, Woolworths had been secured for the centre but a second supermarket was still under question.
"We are hoping to break ground on the first day of November," Mr Hazzouri said. "Certainly, by the end [of the year]."
Construction will take about 18 months, with the first quarter of 2025 as the tentative completion time.
"Of course, this is subject to weather and [contractors]," Mr Hazzouri told the Herald.
In a "first for the area", Chisholm Plaza plans include over 40 retailers, a swim school, early education centre, gym and allied health care. Cafes, restaurants and a tavern are also set to be constructed.
Maitland mayor Philip Penfold said he was looking forward to construction starting after "years" of wait for locals.
"The people of Chisholm have been crying out for this," he said. "If you live in the area, you can't walk to get food in your suburb. There is no safe passage to do so."
Currently, the nearest shopping centre is in Thornton, about 3.5 kilometres from the site set for Chisholm Plaza.
The suburb was home to more than 4,500 people in the last census - a boom from the 2016 count on 1,461 residents.
"This puts pressure on the existing shops in Thornton," Mr Penfold said.
The centre will sit within the new property estate Waterford by AVID Property Group and will be located at 2-4 Heritage Drive.
