Article: Westfield Garden City at Mt Gravatt will get even bigger.

[techblitz]

From the Courier Mail click here!

WESTFIELD Garden City at Mt Gravatt on Brisbane's southside is getting a $400 million makeover that will add 100 new speciality shops and increase retail space by 40 per cent.

The redevelopment will also include a Myer department store and a new Target discount department store.

The announcement follows Westfield's $300 million redevelopment last year of its Carindale shopping centre, also in Brisbane's south.

Work will begin in June to increase retail space in Garden City by about 40,000sq m to around 140,000sq m and create a new destination dining precinct with leisure and entertainment facilities.

Westfield Group's Australian managing director Robert Jordan said the redevelopment would consolidate Garden City's position as one of Brisbane's most important retail destinations.

"Situated in a major commercial centre at one of the city's busiest transport hubs, this centre has one of the largest trade areas among Westfield centres in Australia," Mr Jordan said.


"The expansion will meet the growing demands of the community, and will strengthen its appeal to the Brisbane market."

The centre is now home to a David Jones, Harvey Norman, Coles, Kmart, Big W, Woolworths and a Birch Carroll & Coyle cinema complex, as well as about 260 specialty retailers.

The redevelopment is due to be completed in the final quarter of next year.

Last year AMP Capital Shopping centres announced that Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast would received a $580 million facelift while Eureka Funds Management has embarked on a $450 million upgrade of the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre.

Shopping Centre Council of Australia deputy director Angus Nardi said the expansions were a good sign for the sector.

"Each expansion is a sign of a strong trade area as well as passing traffic," Mr Nardi said

While it wont do any good for the current congestion on kessels/logan roads.The thing that sets it apart from its counterpart chermside is that it has a nice perfectly placed busway running straight though it.Chermside is an absolute mess that needs fixing asap!!
As for indooropilly extension.....take a look at moggil rd and witness the mess.

[Cam]

The major shopping centres expand whilst there isn't even a small-medium sized shopping centre within a 10 minute walk of any railway station on the Beenleigh Line between Yeronga & Woodridge - a distance of about 20km with 12 stations!

[HappyTrainGuy]

There's a woolies next to Beenleigh.... does that count?

[somebody]

The major shopping centres expand whilst there isn't even a small-medium sized shopping centre within a 10 minute walk of any railway station on the Beenleigh Line between Yeronga & Woodridge - a distance of about 20km with 12 stations!

Not sure what centre you are thinking of near Kingston, Loganlea, Bethania, Edens Landing or Holmview either.  You can say similar things about the Cleveland line too.

[SurfRail]

Woodridge has a small commercial precinct and the main shops down the road.

Bethania has a small row of shops, so does Kuraby and Coopers Plains.

Between Beenleigh and Fairfield that really is about it though, and after Fairfield there is nothing until the CBD.

[Cam]

It appears as if BCC have purposely zoned/approved shopping centres along bus routes & away from railway stations on the Beenleigh Line.

Most of the 12 stations between Yeronga & Woodridge are near major roads so lack of car/bus access can't be seen as a reason to deny shopping centres near them. Coincidentally, there are undeveloped properties for sale near Rocklea & Salisbury stations that have main road access & may be suitable for a small-medium sized shopping centre. We shall see what becomes of them.

[newbris]

To be pedantic Centro Pinelands is within 10 mins walk of Altandi/Runcorn

[mufreight]

It appears as if BCC have purposely zoned/approved shopping centres along bus routes & away from railway stations on the Beenleigh Line.

Most of the 12 stations between Yeronga & Woodridge are near major roads so lack of car/bus access can't be seen as a reason to deny shopping centres near them. Coincidentally, there are undeveloped properties for sale near Rocklea & Salisbury stations that have main road access & may be suitable for a small-medium sized shopping centre. We shall see what becomes of them.

In that area a far more logical TOD style development is at Moorooka over the top of the Clapham rail yard, plenty of room there for the development of residental, business and retail.

[colinw]

In that area a far more logical TOD style development is at Moorooka over the top of the Clapham rail yard, plenty of room there for the development of residental, business and retail.

Great suggestion.  There is no reason for that to remain open to the air once re-developed.  Put the electric train depot underneath a multi-purpose retail/residential development. It would make it safer from the graffiti morons as well.

[Gazza]

In that area a far more logical TOD style development is at Moorooka over the top of the Clapham rail yard, plenty of room there for the development of residental, business and retail.

Great suggestion.  There is no reason for that to remain open to the air once re-developed.  Put the electric train depot underneath a multi-purpose retail/residential development. It would make it safer from the graffiti morons as well.

I reckon in 10-20 years time Moorooka wont be the magic mile anymore. It's on a main road, and not that far from the city, and close to public transport....Take away the cars in the car yards and what are you left with? Nice flat plots of land where all you have to do is lift the bitumen and build build build.

Just let the developers at it, and let the towers rise.

[techblitz]

From the courier mail click here!

Westfield pay parking hits Garden City shoppers in the pocket 

WESTFIELD has finally confirmed that pay parking will be introduced at its Garden City centre in Mt Gravatt. The tariffs will apply from July 7.

The retail giant today announced 'controlled parking' would be introduced following on from its introduction at Carindale last year and Chermside in 2010.

Shoppers will be charged $2 per half hour after the first three hours, which will be free. A full day will cost $20.

Staff will also face charges to park at the centre. They will be charged $3 per day, the same rate as their Carindale counterparts.

Westfield Garden City Centre Manager Jodie Gaske said the move was necessary to avoid commuters clogging up the centre's 4000 car parks.

"Westfield Garden City is in a large commercial hub,'' she said.

"We also have the largest bus interchange in Brisbane.. just under 2000 buses that come in and out of our bus depot every day. It puts a huge amount of pressure on our car parks from commuters wanting to park in our areas."
She declined to say how much revenue Westfield would generate from the scheme.

the ol bait em first with a huge shopping center and then use the classic `our car parks are too full` excuse.

[HappyTrainGuy]

I wonder if BT will help Westfield out by running limited PT for locals there.

[minbrisbane]

184/185 is hopelessly infrequent on the weekends, all I can say is thank goodness for 180.

[techblitz]

I wonder if BT will help Westfield out by running limited PT for locals there.

These huge westfields need limited locals 'inside' the shopping center they are that big 

[SurfRail]

Not enough people actually care about this imposition to worry Westfield, in a practical sense.  The other 2 centres have already demonstrated that amply.  Not only have they actually achieves their objective of improving customer turnover, but they are making money off it and people are still visiting.

In other words - care factor NIL from this observer.

[curator49]

Perhaps the City Council could provide some of its bicycle hire racks at these humungous drive-ins so that people can cycle around these shopping centres or someone could start a Segway hire scheme? 

Some of those small shoppping centres mentioned on the Beenleigh line for example (Coopers Plains, Kuraby etc) were important local shopping precincts in their day (steam train era) when they were well patronised and well maintained. The big drive-in shopping centres have taken away their local trade and they have fallen into disrepair becoming almost "slum-like" mores the pity. The general appearance of these stores drives people away as well - dirty and unkempt. People park in station car parks get home from work and drive to those big drive-in supermarkets which are well lit, gaily painted and well maintained.

Regards
David Mewes

[nathandavid88]

The major shopping centres expand whilst there isn't even a small-medium sized shopping centre within a 10 minute walk of any railway station on the Beenleigh Line between Yeronga & Woodridge - a distance of about 20km with 12 stations!

Not sure what centre you are thinking of near Kingston, Loganlea, Bethania, Edens Landing or Holmview either.  You can say similar things about the Cleveland line too.

Loganlea does have a small IGA-anchored shopping centre that would be within a 10 minute walk, and there are plans for another centre near the McDonalds as well, if they ever get realised.

As for a lot of the other Beenleigh line stations, there might not be shops right next to the station, but many do have decent bus links to nearby centres: Altandi has two BUZ services to Sunnybank, Centro Pinelands and Sunnybank Hills, Fruitgrove has the 150BUZ which links to the Woolies centre on Warrigal Road, and then to Garden City. Woodridge Station is served by an absolute multitude of buses, all of which stop at the Logan Central Bus Station in one direction if not both. Loganlea has decent bus connections to the Hyperdome in one direction and Marsden in the other, Kingston has decent services to Marsden and Logan Central. These are just the ones I know offhand.

I think the big thing is not so much that shopping centres were purposely built away from the train line, but more that the residential areas that abut the train line were likely established long before the major shopping centres were. The big centres were largely built through the 70s and 80s, but the residential areas often appear to predate them by a couple of decades.

[techblitz]

If were talking about shopping near rail...there is a huge block of vacant land accross the road from richlands station...anyone know wats up with this? As it suits either retail Or residential.....not sure what its zoned for though.One of the reasons richlands gets parked out so well prolly has something to do with the woolies nearby which is handy for stopping in on the way home. Forget it if your looking to use it via one of the rail feeders on the way home as i would hardly call it bus accessible.

[SurfRail]

No idea about Richlands.  I do have some professional involvement with some of the centres mentioned in the last 2 posts, but not from a town planning perspective.

A number of my clients are building convenience type centres in local neighbourhoods, but few of those are anywhere near meaningful public transport - they tend to be in emerging areas or where there are obvious gaps between the medium to large scale centres.  (Bob - you live just around the corner from one of them. )

[ozbob]

@SurfRail Yes, and very handy it is.  We like to support it as well - IGA.  A nice fish and chips shop too!  We might not have light rail at Goodna, or decent bus/ train frequency but hey we got some great fish and chip shops!!

[mufreight]

If were talking about shopping near rail...there is a huge block of vacant land accross the road from richlands station...anyone know wats up with this? As it suits either retail Or residential.....not sure what its zoned for though.One of the reasons richlands gets parked out so well prolly has something to do with the woolies nearby which is handy for stopping in on the way home. Forget it if your looking to use it via one of the rail feeders on the way home as i would hardly call it bus accessible.

The woolies is bus accessiable but the route is the 465 which is going to be pulled,

[Cam]

If were talking about shopping near rail...there is a huge block of vacant land accross the road from richlands station...anyone know wats up with this? As it suits either retail Or residential.....not sure what its zoned for though.One of the reasons richlands gets parked out so well prolly has something to do with the woolies nearby which is handy for stopping in on the way home. Forget it if your looking to use it via one of the rail feeders on the way home as i would hardly call it bus accessible.

BCC have approved a Masters HIC for this site on the corner of Garden and Pine, Richlands

http://pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au/MasterView/modules/applicationmaster/default.aspx?page=wrapper&key=A003379427

[techblitz]

If were talking about shopping near rail...there is a huge block of vacant land accross the road from richlands station...anyone know wats up with this? As it suits either retail Or residential.....not sure what its zoned for though.One of the reasons richlands gets parked out so well prolly has something to do with the woolies nearby which is handy for stopping in on the way home. Forget it if your looking to use it via one of the rail feeders on the way home as i would hardly call it bus accessible.

BCC have approved a Masters HIC for this site on the corner of Garden and Pine, Richlands

http://pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au/MasterView/modules/applicationmaster/default.aspx?page=wrapper&key=A003379427

thanks:)