THE existing Elizabeth Vale Shopping Centre is set to be bulldozed to make way for a new retail and health precinct next to the Lyell McEwin Hospital (LMH).

Playford Council’s Assessment Panel (CAP) endorsed Northwest Healthcare Australia’s plans to build two buildings, one seven storey and one three, on the land currently occupied by the Elizabeth Vale Shopping Centre on John Rice Avenue and Haydown Road.

The development will include retail precincts, health services and a six-storey carpark, which will provide space for SA Health workers from the neighbouring LMH.

A report presented at the CAP meeting stated the development would support the LMH when built.

The development aligns with the overarching principles of the zone to provide for uses that support the Lyell McEwin Hospital and surrounding policy area via the provision of shop and consulting room services in a high quality built form,” the report read.

“The development exhibits suitable merit when assessed on balance against the relevant objectives and principles of development control of the Playford Council Development Plan to such a degree that it warrants development plan consent subject to addressing the reserved matter.”

Construction will take place in two stages, with the first to build the seven-storey building, which will include a ground-floor area for retail tenancies and the next six-stories for car parking.

The second stage will see the current shopping centre demolished and the three-storey building constructed, which will cater for health services, a café and shops.

Existing shopping centre traders will be relocated to the ground floor of the seven-storey building prior to any demolition work.