Spotlight Rockhampton development: Anaconda to be the main store

A large block of vacant land on Rockhampton’s northside could soon be home to a range of new stores and a service station, with plans to relocate and expand an existing major retailer to the site. Full details here.

The mixed use development is located on the vacant block in front of Spotlight on Yaamba Road.

There have been more than 15 years worth of delays for the retail and service station development on the vacant land in front of Spotlight in North Rockhampton – but it could all be coming to a head by the end of the year.

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

In 2017, plans for an estimated $20 million development including a supermarket, petrol station, retail store and food and drink outlet on the vacant land, were approved by Rockhampton Regional Council.

But for years, the project has faced various delays including an appeal from Stockland Rockhampton and access issues raised by Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR).

Landscape concept plan of the development which is set to include a petrol station, retail, food and drink outlets, showrooms and a supermarket.

The Morning Bulletin spoke with Spotlight Group executive deputy chairman Zac Fried who said there was still an intention to develop the site.

“What has been taking a lot of time, besides Covid delays, has been negotiating with TMR with access and roadworks,” he said.

“Most of the time over the past year or two we have gone backwards and forth to achieve the outcomes.”

There have been many options thrown around to solve the issues raised by TMR, from ripping up traffic lights to creating more lanes, laying cable and widening accesses.

Mr Fried hopes to come to an agreement with TMR within the next month.

“Yes we are still committed to the site, but we need to resolve the TMR issues,” he said.

“We still want to spend almost $20 million in Rocky… we want to employ more people and grow what we have there.

“We are patient, it takes time.”

TMR advised The Morning Bulletin it met with representatives of the development last month where they discussed “road corridor access requirements”.

If all goes according to plan, Mr Fried said they could be looking at construction in mid-2022.

“We really are keen to get the new development in Rockhampton up and going as quick as we can,” Mr Fried said.

“Every development has access and roadworks… It’s more for this site what is fair and reasonable.”

“We are having very active discussions with them… We think we have a way forward now.”

The development includes a petrol station with four bowsers, three tenancies which are zoned as retail and food and drink outlets, two showrooms and a supermarket.

The original plans had Anaconda at the shopping centre.

The main tenant of the development would be Anaconda, which is owned by the Spotlight Group.

The outdoor adventure store opened in Rockhampton in December 2016, located in the former Webbers Retravision store at Aquatic Place near Stockland.

Mr Fried said the new store would be at least 50 per cent bigger than the existing one.

Then-mayor Margaret Strelow announced in 2017 that Rockhampton’s second Aldi store would potentially form part of the Spotlight development.

Aldi has been unable to confirm if it is involved in the development, and Mr Fried said it was too early to lock down other tenants.

The Morning Bulletin asked customers at Aldi’s Allenstown store last week if they were in support of a northside store and the answer was a resounding ‘yes’. READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

“It is going to come down to the deal with TMR, if we get an agreement we have to work out if Aldi still wants to go,” Mr Fried said.

“The priority at the moment is to get the TMR issues sorted.

“Until we have a deal ready to go, it is a bit hard to have the conversations.”

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

The Rockhampton store at Stockland Rockhampton closed in February 2020.

Spotlight has plans to open 50 Harris Scarfe stores in the next five years.

Mr Fried said he was keen to get Harris Scarfe back to Rockhampton, but it might be more suited to the Stockland shopping centre.

He said they were also investigating expanding Spotlight’s Rockhampton store by 10 to 15 per cent.

Mr Fried recalled the day in 2005 when he bought the site and his excitement about the development. He never expected it would still be delayed in 2021.

“I was so excited about buying the site and doing the development and it has been 15 years,” he said

“It has high exposure, is a corner site, meets all the fundamentals… we just didn’t expect to have so many access issues.”