First look at Westfield Marion’s planned new food precinct
WESTFIELD has released new artist’s impressions of how its planned fresh precinct at Marion shopping centre will look, as work continues on the $350 million development. See all the pictures here.
WESTFIELD has released new artist’s impressions of how its planned fresh precinct at Marion shopping centre will look, as work continues on the $350 million development.
The detailed designs show a self-serve, open-plan food court with tables and seating.
The fresh food precinct is expected to be finished in August next year, and is the first stage of a $350 million centre redevelopment.
It is a 3000sq m expansion of the centre’s western end and will replace 168 of the centre’s 5549 carparks.
Centre staff have been parking off site at Club Marion on Sturt Rd, to ensure there were still car spaces available to customers.
Westfield SA regional manager Malcolm Creswell said the centre was running buses between the staff car park and centre.
He said solar panels would also be installed above the deck carpark, providing shade over 284 car bays and generating electricity that would feed into the centre.
“This will be the first Westfield shopping centre in Australia that would actually have a major solar project,” Mr Creswell said.
The whole upgrade — to take five years — will add 65 shops across two levels, 10 restaurants and cafes and more than 1000 parking spaces.
Carousel Fruit part owner Michael Ryan was concerned about the timing of the upgrade as shoppers flocked to the centre to do last-minute Christmas shopping.
“It is exciting on the other hand,” Mr Ryan said. “I think long term it’s probably the way they had to go to keep up with all the other shopping centres that are upgrading.”
The fresh food precinct will include an Aldi supermarket and about 14 new specialty stores, and is expected to create about 200 jobs.
Mr Creswell said more jobs would be created in the next two stages but could not confirm when that would be.
The centre will be open until midnight on Wednesday and will not close on December 23 and 24.
