The City of Mandurah is not endorsing the proposed design for a new shopping centre in Dawesville.
Developer Coles Group Property Developments (CGPD) is planning a Coles supermarket with other shops and services including a liquor store, child care centre and gym.
While the council has approved for the shopping centre on the site, it said the current design was not consistent with the Florida Neighbourhood Centre Structure Plan, particularly the site layout, frontage to Dandaragan Drive and the location of the servicing dock.
The council at its Tuesday meeting recommended requesting for the plan to be changed.
Because the proposed development is valued at close to $20million and is outside the metropolitan area, CGPD was able to lodge its application directly with the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC).
A report to the council on Tuesday said if the WAPC intended to approve plans, it should require that shops adjoining Dandaragan Drive 'front' the street so pedestrians had better access, and for angled on-street parking.
The report also called for the proposed roundabout at the intersection of Dandaragan Drive and Balladonia Parade to be removed.
Further it said proposed one-way entries and exits be scrapped, allowing two-way movements at the rear of the child care centre.
The council report also said the developer had proposed too much signage and not enough footpaths or street trees.
The report went to the council after a public consultation period which ended last month.
Mayor Rhys Williams told the council: "People have been waiting for a long time for this shopping centre, so let's do it properly and give them a good shopping centre, not one that's half-baked."
Deputy mayor Caroline Knight said the current design was not suitable because the council wanted "walkable catchments".
She queried why the proposed building was black and red.
"How is this palette in keeping with our coastal region?" she said.
But City of Mandurah officers said they were "comfortable" with the architectural side of the development, just not the site layout.
"[The developer] has already changed the colour palette and materials from the first proposal and the panel is more comfortable with the current one; there's been an improvement," a City officer said.
CGPD's report states the centre would create about 250 jobs during construction, more than 120 ongoing operational jobs through the supermarket, gym and childcare, and additional opportunities within the specialty retail stores.
Construction was scheduled to start around the middle of this year - but now looks likely to be delayed - and was expected to be finished in April 2022.
Situated at 71 Dandaragan Drive near the Caltex service station, the Crown Reserve lot to the northwest of the site has been identified for a future community centre to be operated by the City of Mandurah.
The report to the council said the Dawesville precinct was "the last remaining retail centre to be developed within the suburban areas of Mandurah".
"Ultimately, it will have a catchment in the order of 12,000 people and is the smallest in population of each of our 'district' catchments," the report stated.
"Centres of a similar scale at Meadow Springs and Erskine, whilst relatively 'attractive' buildings, clearly lack this main street focus and integration with their surrounds, particularly to surroundings streets (note Pebble Beach Boulevard in Meadow Springs and Wattleglen Avenue in Erskine) and do not achieve the walkable catchments recommended in state policy."