Little fish, big fight

By Tania Martin
AN EMERALD fish and chip shop owner has lashed out at supermarket giant Woolworths.
This comes as Woolworths told the Mail last week it planned to start demolishing the building at 387 Belgrave-Gembrook Road to make way for its new store.
But Blue Hills Fish Cafe owner Emmanuel Lambrou said the matter was still before the courts.
The former Foodworks supermarket is set to be knocked down this week, after a three-year wait.
A Woolworths spokesman said it was expected construction would take about 12 months.
This comes after a long battle that saw the development tied up in the courts.
Cardinia Shire Council approved the application in September 2008, putting to an end more than three years of speculation over the project.
But the supermarket was put in limbo after a VCAT appeal and issues raised by the adjacent Blue Hills Fish Cafe.
In August last year, the tribunal upheld the council’s approval and granted a permit for the supermarket.
But the fight didn’t end there. Mr Lambrou is continuing legal proceedings at VCAT.
Last August he told the Mail the supermarket would not proceed until his lease ran out in 2012. He still maintains the supermarket would impinge on his lease.
He says he is not against the supermarket development but believes the demolition will have an impact on the building he leases.
“They are free to build but I just want to be left alone until my lease finishes,” he said.
But a Woolworths spokesman said it had given Mr Lambrou assurances that the demolition would not affect his business.
He said the demolition at the site had nothing to do with the VCAT hearing.
“While there will always be some disruption during a store’s construction it has always been Woolworths’ aim to be a good neighbour and a welcome addition to the community of Emerald,” he said.