``We can't allow this to happen again,'' she said.

A Penrith City Council spokesman said: ``The decision to close the shopping centre was a commercial decision that sat outside the DA process.''

``The practice of closing shopping centres throughout construction is not uncommon,'' the spokesman said.

``So it is incorrect to attach the construction decision of the owner with this DA consent. However, the council will ask owners to submit details of construction phases and encourage them to have shopping centres remain open when receiving future DAs.''

The Star has previously reported that a spokesman for the company that owns Southlands said complete closure was the safest option.

Lee Henderson said: ``If they tried to do this while the shops were in occupation, it would take years and years.''