Construction of Epping’s long-awaited Costco store has finally begun.
Locals have been eagerly awaiting the start of construction of the discount supermarket, amid reports plans for an Epping store had been shelved.
The US retailer was given approval by Whittlesea council to build the store in late 2013, however, in November 2015, the company indicated Epping was not on its radar.
But, all that changed last month when construction equipment appeared on the site of the planned store at 20 Jovic Road.
When
Star Weekly contacted Costco last week, a spokeswoman confirmed the new store was under way.
She said Costco was aiming to open in mid-2018, but was unable to provide further details about the development at this stage. When the planning permit for the bulk-item supermarket was approved by council, it was tipped to generate 210 jobs.
Plans for the site at the time included an optometrist, a hearing centre, photo processing, a cafe, bottleshop and tyre sales and fitting site, as well as 746 carparking spaces. The store was originally meant to open last year.
A 2013 report to council assessing the economic benefits of Costco at Epping said it would increase competition in the retail market and create potential savings of as much as 25 per cent for consumers and small businesses, as well as increasing the choice of shops available.
It was forecast to increase the number of visitors to Epping by up to 700,000 trips each year, and create about 475 direct and indirect full-time jobs.
