New Yaamba Road development plans for shops and service station

It’s been more than 15 years in the making, but a revamp of a prime retail location in North Rockhampton is finally progressing. See what’s planned.

Anaconda would be moved to a much larger store as part of the proposed development on the Spotlight land. Renders: Leffler Simes Architects.

New plans have been submitted for the vacant land in front of Spotlight in North Rockhampton, in a sign the development could be moving ahead after decades in the making.

A $20 million development with a supermarket, service station, retail store and food and drink outlet was approved in 2017.

The venture stalled when the Department of Transport and Main Roads added road access conditions that were considered “unviable”.

Aerial image of the vacant land in front of Spotlight.

There is also critical existing communication infrastructure under the verge on the land, which has restricted options for access and development.

The development at the time also looked at including Aldi.

In June 2021, Stockland lodged plans for an Aldi to be built in a stand-alone building in the carpark near the Kmart end of the shopping centre.

It came just days after Coles revealed plans for a new shopping centre and residential units at the former Bunnings building.

Site plan for the proposed Anaconda, retail and service development.

The new plans for the Moores Creek Road / Yaamba Road site were lodged with Rockhampton Regional Council last week.

The shopping centre component has been removed from the current plans, reducing the gross floor area by 745sq m.

Anaconda is proposed as the anchor tenant in a 2500sq m showroom space.

Anaconda is also owned by the Spotlight Retail Group and opened in the former Webbers Retravision store at Aquatic Place in December 2016.

Artists impression for the proposed development on the Spotlight land from Leffler Simes Architects.

The mixed used commercial development would also have four single-storey retail buildings, between 300sq m and 605sq m.

The retail shops are proposed to operate seven days, 7am to 10pm.

Perspective of the service station, accessed from Moores Creek Road. Renders: Leffler Simes Architect.

The service station would have a 223sq m building and is proposed to operate 24/7 hours.

Access to the site would be from Moores Creek Road, at the southern western edge of the lot.

The site has a total of 258 car parks, exceeding the required amount by almost 100 spaces.

The proposed development does not involve any works or changes to the Spotlight building and there would only be a pedestrian connection between the two.

Landscape concept plan for the south east side of the site by O2 Landscape Architecture.

Landscape plans for north east side. (O2 Landscape Architecture).

The two lots were formally separated into two lots in September as part of the planning process.

The Spotlight Group bought the 2.7ha block, which includes the existing Spotlight store, in 2005 for $430,000.

The company bought Harris Scarfe in April 2020, when the company went into administration.

The Rockhampton store at Stockland Rockhampton closed in February 2020.

In 2021, Spotlight executive deputy chairman Zac Fried said they were keen to get Harris Scarfe back in Rockhampton.