Mitchell Highway's new fast-food hub to open by the end of 2023

Work on the site commenced in the second half of 2022, with a former car yard needing to be demolished to make way for three fast-food premises and a service station on the corner of Corporation Avenue and Bradwardine Road.

Initially, construction was running smoothly and the site was expected to be operational in June, 2023.

The timeline for the first business to open was pushed back to August, and now further delays have seen the anticipated opening date moved to sometime in December, 2023.

Spectrum Retail Group development manager Youil Adam said road upgrades need to be completed before trading is permitted to commence, which is where the project has encountered difficulties.

"It's just taken quite some time to procure the appropriate approvals and get the right contractor on board," he said.

As of October 24, 2023, he was expecting the issue to be resolved within 10 days, after which work should commence.

The work includes constructing a deceleration lane off the highway, and building culverts and new medians.

Mr Adam anticipates a six-week construction period.

The bulk of the building works have been completed on the site, which will enable the businesses to open once the road has been upgraded.

Mr Adam said McDonald's will be the first to open, followed by Subway and 7-Eleven, with Red Rooster to open last.

They are all expected to be up and running before Christmas.

"That is the absolute goal; [we're] pushing very hard to get this resolved and all open," Mr Adam said.

He has confidence that the four businesses, which already have a presence in Bathurst, will be embraced by the surrounding community and deliver the economic and employment benefits that were promised.

"McDonald's alone, I think, is 120 or 150 staff. I think overall I think there would be around 200 jobs in varying capacities across the site, which is a great outcome for effectively such a small block of land," he said.

"We're pretty pleased about that outcome."

The development has also created jobs during the construction phase.

Plans for the convenience development first came to light in mid-2021 with the lodgement of a development application, at which time only three of the businesses that would be part of it were known.

Bathurst Regional Council approved the plans in July, 2022, and a few months later Mr Adam confirmed Red Rooster would be the fourth tenant.

He also revealed that it was McDonald's that had approached Spectrum for assistance in establishing a third outlet in the Bathurst area.

The site was too big for McDonald's alone, so Spectrum agreed to sell a portion of the site to McDonald's and found other retailers that could band together to make for one expansive commercial development.

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