in Melbourne’s West has officially opened its new $300 million retail expansion to the public, making it one of Australia’s largest shopping centres.
The mall’s co-owners – GPT Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund (GWSCF), Highpoint Property Group and The GPT Group – unveiled the new project in March along with its new fashion offerings, which include the first David Jones in Melbourne’s west, and European fashion powerhouses TopShop and Zara.
After four years of planning and two years of construction, CEO and Managing Director of GPT, Michael Cameron, said the development had been delivered on time and on budget.
“Highpoint is now one of the largest shopping centres in the country. The 100 additional retail offerings take the total number of stores to around 520 and the number of parking spaces to more than 7000,” Mr Cameron said.
“This expansion has been years in the planning and we knew it would work because we went out to the community and asked them what they wanted, well before the first load of concrete was laid.
“By far the most striking design feature is the floating roof structure, which was inspired by the Maribyrnong River.
“The transparent roof, which has been designed to bring in natural light and fresh air, flows throughout the mall before opening up to a grand new entrance and public space.”
The expansion has increased the centre’s size from 30,000sqm to 156,000sqm,
It will be the only shopping centre in Australia where both TopShop and Zara will be available under the one roof.
The expanded centre also features a number of sustainable design initiatives, including the addition of rainwater tanks with a 480,000-litre capacity, and captured storm water for use in irrigation and air conditioning.
Highpoint has also achieved an 80% recycling target for construction waste.
A centre review outlined the total trade area population in the west is projected to grow to 1.26 million over the next decade, with growth forecasted at 22,000 persons per year over the period to 2021.
