Sale of west Warrnambool property gives KFC option for location of second store

KFC south-west stores owner David Bird has bought TV technician Ian Anderson's infamous stonehenge block off Raglan Parade in west Warrnambool.

The sale price for the 2500sm property at 1057 Raglan Parade is believed to be about $2 million.

Harris and Wood Real Estate founding partner and commercial property specialist Danny Harris said he was pleased to help Ian Anderson realise a great result after many decades of hard work at the site.

The property is next to what was Roe Motorcycle & Mower off a service road.

Mr Harris said it was an off-the-market transaction and he declined to comment on the sale price.

"It's a unique location and land suitable for development," he said.

A second KFC store for Warrnambool had been proposed for a section of land at the front of the Northpoint shopping complex.

Mr Bird said he was still waiting for the Warrnambool City Council to make a decision on the proposed Northpoint site.

He said there had been objections, which he believed were addressed.

"That proposal is currently with the council. There has been no decision made and I don't know when there will be a decision," he said.

It's understood that some shopkeepers and a resident opposed the development and there were concerns about traffic flow.

Mr Bird said if the Mortlake site was approved a second store would be built there as there was a contract with Northpoint owners.

"We need a second store as quickly as we can, we are so busy at the current site," he said.

"We need to spread it out a bit and now we have another option. I'm just trying to run a business."

Mr Bird currently has eight KFC outlets and will start building another restaurant at Stawell at the end of this month.

There are also plans for another outlet in Naracoorte to add to the stores in Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton, Horsham, Ararat, Maryborough and two at Mount Gambier.

Mr Bird said commercial property in Warrnambool rarely came on the market and he would always consider investing in such land.

"I'm always going to look at it. Who knows what the future needs of Warrnambool are going to be in 2050," he said.

Mr Anderson, 79, has owned the Raglan Parade property for almost 40 years and it has been the subject of long-running saga involving its development and the Warrnambool City Council.

In recent years Mr Anderson has suffered a stroke and heart attack.

His daughter Kim said her Dad was slowing down.

"Absolutely it's been a long-running saga," she said on Friday morning.

"It's perfect timing. All we had to do was convince Dad. The sale has been signed and sealed. It's done."

The Raglan Parade west site was originally planned to be a video shop and library and later a remote controlled sprintcar track.

"He's stuck to his different ideas over the years," Kim said.

"He's a unique character and has his own ideas about all sorts of things.

"He raced speedway in his mini and did the videos for a long time. He was based at his Raglan Parade shop in east Warrnambool, across from Harvey Norman, for many years and still lives there.

"It was time for the sale. Dad was not going to finish his dream for the west Warrnambool site. It was a mess and just costing money."

In 2009 The Standard reported that the Raglan Parade west property and unusual winged bluestone building was for lease or sale for $1.6 million.

Previous to that, the city council told Mr Anderson twice to finish the job and even threatened demolition if he didn't hurry up.

Mr Anderson said at the time health problems had put an end to his plans for the site.

He designed the building in the mid-1980s, took 20 years to progressively put it together with help from his son, daughter and a friend.

Bluestone rocks were used for external walls and sawn sections of cypress trees decorate the ceilings.

"I'm not a builder, just a TV technician,'' he said while pointing out the air-conditioning, motion sensor lights and kitchen he installed himself.

They are only some of the skills he acquired during his working career, which started as a 15-year-old apprentice with the late Ed Gibbons.

"I started working on the first televisions in Warrnambool and bought the first videos,'' he said. "I've still got all my original equipment.''

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