Construction has officially commencement on the $400 million redevelopment of Sunshine Plaza on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Sunshine Plaza – which is already the largest retail centre north of Brisbane – will expand from 73,000 square metres to over 107,000 square metres, reinforcing the strong performing centre’s position as a leading fashion, leisure and tourist destination.
“The redevelopment of Sunshine Plaza will not only strengthen the position of the asset through an additional diversified retail mix, it will also reflect the best lifestyle qualities the Sunshine Coast is famous for, and become the central hub for locals and tourists alike," Lendlease Head of Retail Gary Horwitz said.
“The project will also stimulate the local economy, boosting employment and creating further opportunities for retailers while ultimately delivering our customers with the aspirational shopping they are looking for locally,” he said.
At the end of construction, Sunshine Plaza will have the region’s first David Jones department store, a new BIGW, a refurbished Myer, a new Amaroo Street mall entrance, provision for additional large format fashion operators and over 100 new specialty stores.
The centre will also feature new outdoor waterfront dining along Cornmeal Creek and two new multi-level car parking facilities that will provide over 1,400 additional car spaces, taking the total number of spaces to nearly 5,000.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson joined representatives from Lendlease, Australian Prime Property Fund Retail and The GPT Group in a sod turning ceremony on the site of the new six level multideck car park to mark the commencement of construction.
The redevelopment is targeting a 5 Star Green Star – As Built rating. It is estimated that the redevelopment will generate up to 2,900 jobs during construction and approximately 2,300 additional retail positions once the project is complete.
Sunshine Plaza is jointly owned by the Lendlease managed APPF Retail and The GPT Group, and Lendlease’s Building business will design, project manage and construct the project.
Construction is expected to take approximately two years, with completion prior to Christmas 2018.
