Park-ageddon: Toombul closure set to worsen retail parking nightmare

Toombul Shopping Centre’s shock closure took away 1700 car parks and the fallout is creating a “parking nightmare” at nearby centres, especially Westfield Chermside

The closure of Toombul Shopping Centre is set to create a “parking nightmare” at other retail hubs around the city, experts say.

QUT retail specialist Dr Gary Mortimer said the loss of Toombul, which had 1700 carparking spaces, would cause more traffic congestion at Chermside, Stafford and Lutwyche shopping centres as people in north Brisbane travelled further afield to do their shopping.

“People will be seeking out the centres with supermarkets and discount department stores such as Kmart and Target,” said Dr Mortimer. “Parking is already a nightmare at shopping centres such as Stafford.”

There have been reports of one-to-three hour delays to get out of the carpark at Westfield Chermside at peak times with one customer describing it as like a “crab pot – you can get in but you can’t get out.”

“Westfield Chermside is packed already. What a disaster, like Christmas rush every weekend there now,” one shopper said on Facebook.

Dr Mortimer said large centres such as Chermside had seen an increase in traffic since February when Toombul closed due to serious flooding. Mirvac announced this week Toombul would close permanently due to flood damage.

Toombul shopping centre is now closed after tenants’ leases were terminated. Picture: Liam Kidston

“I have personally experienced it myself with traffic snarls leading into the centre and backing up on Gympie Rd,” he said.

Those centres with paid parking were likely to see a boost in revenue due to the closure of Toombul.

Westfield Chermside sparked a furore in 2020 after cutting free parking hours.

Market Central Lutwyche owners, Abacus Property Group and ISPT, said it had experienced a surge in customers since Toombul shut but could handle the extra numbers.

It was able to take on some of Toombul’s small traders and had had a strong level of inquiries.

“There has been a significant increase in patronage at Market Central Lutwyche since the completion of (its) major development at the start of Covid-19,’’ a spokeswoman said.

“The centre now includes three supermarkets, Australia Post, and various retailers. Since the devastating floods in late February, we have seen significant growth and support from the local community and surrounding neighbourhoods.”

Consumers say parking at Westfield Chermside has become a nightmare.

Skygate shopping centre near Brisbane Airport is also experiencing huge demand for parking spaces. Colliers International retail special projects executive Heath Wakeham said the impact of the permanent closure of Toombul Shopping Centre would be felt in surrounding areas.

“More people having to shop elsewhere will put pressure on other shopping centres,” he said.

“Some of the smaller shopping centres will struggle a bit more because they don’t have a big ratio of carparking.”

Mr Wakeham said Toombul was a local community hub for many people who won’t want to travel too far. “I believe it will increase online sales especially for majors like Coles and Woolworths,” he said. “Click and delivery sales will rise because people won’t want to drive further to another centre.”

Parking at Westfield Chermside has become a nightmare. Picture: Josh Woning.

A spokeswoman for Scentre, which owns Westfield Chermside Shopping Centre, declined to comment on the impact of Toombul on its trade levels or whether it had fielded leasing inquiries from Toombul retailers.

“During the first quarter of this year we’ve seen week-on-week improvement in customer visitation across our suburban and CBD based Living Centres, including in Brisbane,’’ she said.

Despite boasting 7200 car spaces, parking at Westfield Chermside Shopping Centre was often challenging, even before Toombul closed.