Suburban spotlight: Shailer Park

NOT only can you still get a big backyard in this southside locale, but you’re also living in the shadow of one of the region’s biggest shopping centres - and that’s expanding.

Bryants Rd is set to get a series of new businesses. Picture: Jodie Munro O'Brien

A MAJOR shopping centre south of Brisbane is about to lose a car park but gain a whole lot more.

For years the Logan Hyperdome in Shailer Park has used a grassy area on the Bryants Rd side of the centre as additional car parking space.

But in the next few months construction is set to begin on a new commercial development that will see the land filled with a service station, a car wash and three drive-through restaurants.

The Logan City Council recently approved a development application for the project, put forward by the shopping centre’s owners, Queensland Investment Corporation.

Development approval plans also show additional car parking, a bike lane and bike parking.

Shailer Park councillor Darren Power he was not aware of what businesses would be moving to the spot.

“We only approved the type of businesses, we don’t know which brands will be coming yet,” he said.

“It’s a matter of utilising space that was not being used, with four or five buildings going in there.”

QIC is also staying tight-lipped on who will be moving into the new development, which sits off the Pacific Motorway.

The changes have upset local commuters who have routinely used the space as a makeshift Park ‘N’ Ride facility, capitalising on its easy access to local bus stops.

The Hyperdome has guaranteed commuters they will give them at least one month’s notice prior to closing the site for construction.

They said commuters should start using an official Park ‘N’ Ride facility at nearby Slacks Creek.

The expansion is part of an ongoing revamp of the Hyperdome, which included the introduction of an indoor fresh food market in late 2015, while a number of other stores and restaurants have come and gone.

Myers Department store is the next one set to leave when its lease expires later this year.

It opened as a foundation retailer in 1989 but Myer has made the decision to close the doors to its store in Logan's Hyperdome.

There has still been no announcement made as to what will take its place, despite ongoing conjecture that American discount store Costco was a possibility.

But a spokeswoman for Costco Australia said there were no plans for the store to move to Logan at this time.

Rob Mansfield, Logan Hyperdome Centre Manager, said it was too early to announce specific details on any of the store changes or expansion.

“While it’s still too early to provide specific details, our proposed changes would see Hyperdome welcome even more highly-recognised Australian and international brands, and further position the centre to meet customer demand in an area that continues to experience strong growth,” he said.

The Hypermarket, which is Logan City’s largest shopping centre, is just one of the features Cr Power says attracts new residents to Shailer Park.

He said predominantly, though, what makes the area popular is that homeowners can still get a decent yard. He said the average home sat on a quarter acre of land.

A 1308sq m property on Chatswood Rd, Shailer Park is currently for sale. Picture: Supplied

The suburb, one of more than 50 locales in Logan City, is located about halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast off the Pacific Motorway. It is bordered by Loganholme, Daisy Hill and Cornubia and has a number of recreational areas and parks, and is close to the Kimberley Park Forest, the Cornubia Forest, Venman Bushland National Park and the popular Daisy Hill Koala Park.

Cr Power said the suburb was also full of walkways or trails, had two dog parks, and housed the Cornubia Indoor Sports Centre.

He said the area was particularly popular with families due to the abundance of private and public schools close by, as well as sporting clubs and other community services and activities.

Rebecca Graham, 44, said the yard sizes, location and convenience to services was a big drawcard for her partner Mike and their children when they moved to Shailer Park nine years ago from Daisy Hill.

“It had bigger blocks, but it was also close to shops and amenities,” she said.

“We like to ride our bikes through the Cornubia Forest, and now that my children are at university, they can simply catch a bus from the Hyperdome.

“It’s a nice distance into the (Brisbane) city or down to the coast, and it’s handy to be so close to the on and off ramps to the motorway,” she said.

Natalie Maggs from Elders Real Estate said the growing popularity of the area meant house prices were starting to climb, though many were still affordable for the land size.

“On average, you would recently pay between $450,000 to $480,000 for a four bedroom, two bath home on 600sq m that was up to 15 years old,” she said.

“Now, that’s climbed to a bracket of between $550,000 to $570,000.

Ms Maggs said although the larger yards were a big selling point for the area, there were also now a growing demand for units and townhouses.

Ryan Capper, 38, co-owner of the Loganholme News and Casket shop on Bryants Rd, said it was the community feel of Shailer Park that provided them with returning, regular customers.

“We have our regular customers that keep us going, but we love meeting new people coming through too,” he said.

“It’s so nice to have that conversation and have that rapport with the customers.”