Coldstream, cheap, empty crappy shops!

Recently there have been many comments regarding a new supermarket complex in Seville.  I could not help but notice what our fellow townspeople think of Coldstream.

First a post from Hope:

I have been living in the Seville area for over 30 years. The township does not need another supermarket in the area. Some other post have mentioned that the IGA is dear and that competition would be good, but as a regular shopper at Seville IGA I have noticed that prices are going down and have been told by staff that they are currently dropping all their prices to match the bigger Supermarkets. They are also having a cafe and a Bank at the front of the IGA.Yes there does need to be some sort of development where the Service station is because it is an eyesore, but do we need or want it to look like Coldstream or Yarra Junction and either have empty shops or crappy cheap shops. Having another Supermarket in such a small town is not going to bring toursits to the area and it is not going to be competition because the big guys will eventully win and knock out all the competition. I know that Seville IGA donate alot of money to the Local schools, CFA and Charities, do the bigger supermarkets? The staff at IGA are always happy and helpful, do you find this at the bigger named supermarkets, i think not. Yes do something there, Craft & Tourist type shops but not a supermarket.


And then a post from John

I say no. Seville should remain a small rural style shopping strip just for the day to day necessities and leave the other shops in Lilydale or Chirnside. Look at the eye sore in Coldstream, what has ‘the specialty shops’ done for the town in the last 25 years. Nothing, Seville does not need any more specialty shops that remain empty or boarded up. Are people becoming to lazy to travel an extra 15 minutes to go shopping. Do tourists go supermarket shopping...No...they come to our Valley for restaurants, wineries, agriculture not to go find more shops. The valley already has a number of tourist shopping hubs and we don’t need any more ie. Healesville, Yarra Junction, Warburton, Olinda, Sassafrass, Yarra Glen. And think of the traffic, one already gets caught in the bottleneck every evening between Wandin and Seville. More traffic you will be banked up to Wandin.


I think we would be better served to have more people living in Seville to support the local businesses we already have. Develop that space into a retirement village with a medical centre and construct a walkway across the highway giving access to the shopping strip and freeing up traffic flow through the town.

Comment:
 
I hate to say this but the comments about Coldstream are true.  What do you think?