Riverlink Shopping Centre claims Nicholas St Precinct project will ‘kill’ local business

Retailers at a popular Ipswich shopping centre claim the Nicholas St Precinct’s mooted retailers could jeopardise jobs and family businesses elsewhere.

Retailers at a popular Ipswich shopping centre say hundreds of local jobs and a number of family businesses are under threat, as new big business tenants prepare to move into the CBD’s $250 million refurbished Nicholas St Precinct.

Riverlink Shopping Centre, on behalf of the Riverlink Retailers Marketing Advisory Group which represents about 160 retailers at the centre, has alleged that Ipswich City Council is planning to duplicate Limelight Cinemas, one of its biggest tenants.

“We are also now hearing information that other tenancies being introduced to the CBD will simply duplicate existing Riverlink businesses,” a Riverlink spokeswoman said.

Limelight Cinema at Riverlink. Picture: File

Ipswich City Council is expected to announce a new “world-class” cinema operator for the precinct by August. But until then, details including the cinema’s brand name will remain commercial in confidence.

“The Nicholas Street Precinct team will be negotiating up to 40 retail, food and beverage and leisure deals over the next few years,” a progress report tabled at last week’s council meeting read.

“During this process and with the desire to drive the best financial outcome for council and its constituents, the precinct team need to protect this outcome by maintaining a competitive advantage during the negotiations, which can only happen with an element of confidentiality.”

Tenants already announced for the precinct include Sushi Hyo, Terry White Chemmart, Gelatissimo, and That Dumpling Place. AusHotels has also signed on as the new operator of the iconic Commonwealth Hotel, formerly known as Murphy’s Pub.

An artist’s impression of Nicholas St, Ipswich upon completion of the CBD upgrades. Picture: File

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the Nicholas St Precinct project was the biggest redevelopment of the CBD since the 1980s and one she was sure residents and local businesses would agree was “long overdue”.

“The Ipswich CBD was once a thriving city centre before suffering from a trend towards suburban shopping centres and a failure of the previous council to invest in the precinct. This slow decay due to neglect and a lack of investment came at a cost to ratepayers of more than $78 million over the decade,” Cr Harding said.

“The new Ipswich City Council was left with three options: let the CBD to fall into further ruin, sell the CBD and lose control of its future, or bring the CBD back to life.”

Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee Chairperson Councillor Marnie Doyle said the retail component of the precinct will mostly consist of restaurants and leisure tenancies, with about 20,000sqm of commercial space and capacity for 30 tenancies.

But a Riverlink spokeswoman said the council was failing in its obligation to protect the best interests of all its constituents, as introducing tenants to the Nicholas St precinct that are similar to that which operate out of the North Ipswich shopping centre will negatively impact hundreds of local workers.

“We employ hundreds of Ipswich residents and have done so for more than 15 years,” she said.

“Their employment and the future of our family business operators is now in jeopardy because the council has decided to venture away from what it was elected to do.

“Instead it is intent on playing a high stakes commercial game in the retail development field.”

A preview of the Nicholas St Precinct redevelopment. Picture: Ipswich First

Riverlink Shopping Centre has now launched a change.org petition, calling on Ipswich residents to help it stop the council’s “plan to kill our local businesses”.

“(The) council say new cinemas and a retail offering will miraculously transform the CBD,” the petition read.

“Concerningly, a number of these offers are simply a duplication of current Riverlink retailers which will destroy existing and new retailers in an already challenging market, not breathe new life into the CBD.”

More than 134 specialty stores, as well as Target, Kmart, Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi currently operate out of Riverlink Shopping Centre.

The Nicholas St Precinct incorporates the previous Ipswich City Mall, civic plaza area Tulmur Place, Ipswich Central Library, and will soon feature ‘eats’, entertainment, and retail areas.