Huge revamp for inner-west Brisbane shopping centre

This Brisbane inner-west shopping centre is getting its biggest makeover in years. Many will be delighted, but residents in a quiet street might not be so happy. See the plans.

Kenmore Village shopping centre is about to get its biggest upgrade in years, with plans to demolish the north mall, rejig parking and add a third vehicle entrance.

While the changes will be welcomed by most locals, the third entrance could spark opposition from residents in Spearwood Pl, a quiet cul-de-sac with only about a dozen houses.

The plan by centre owners Jen Retail Properties Limited would generate up to 200 more car movements per day on the street.

“The proposed Spearwood Place access will provide a broader community benefit as a result of improvements to the traffic network and safe and direct emergency vehicle access, without introducing unacceptable amenity impacts for those residents of the street,’’ the development application documents said.

An artist's impression of how the new centre will look.

But the changes, which will result in a smaller floor area at the revamped centre, will likely cut overall car movements by up to 105 per day.

The biggest improvement will be at the congested Brookfield Rd access.

“The centre has now served proudly as a local landmark for over 50 years,’’ a Jen Retail Properties spokeswoman said.

“The planned redevelopment will provide a vibrant new look and modern feel for the oldest section of the centre, the northern mall.

“To revitalise this section, the northern mall and level 1 office will be replaced with a fresh ground-level build, new entry statements and a contemporary new centre profile when viewed from the western carpark.

Aerial view of the shopping centre.

“After careful consideration, it is intended for the aesthetic elements of the new design to complement the look and feel of the remaining parts of the centre.

“We consider it important that the familiarity and character of the centre that our customers love and value is preserved.’’

The changes come after plans were revealed in March for a cinema and serviced apartments opposite the shopping centre’s entrance off Kenmore Roundabout.

Where the new buildings and car parks will go.

WHAT IS CHANGING

The north mall will be replaced with at-grade ancillary carparking spaces.

New floor area will be created underneath the Brisbane City Council library.

Some of the existing north mall tenants will relocate to the new floor area, to be constructed underneath the library wing.

Within the western end of the south mall a stand-alone building will go up in the southwest corner of the site.

A new vehicle access (entry/exit) to Spearwoord Pl is also proposed in the northwest corner of the site.

The development will result in a net reduction in gross floor area of about 1500 sqm to about 14,000 sqm.

No changes are proposed to existing site access points, which include the all-movements crossovers to Phillipa St, the entry only access at the Brookfield Rd/Moggill Rd intersection, and the Brookfield Rd left-in/left-out/right out access.

Kenmore Village Shopping Centre. Picture: Richard Walker

Jen Retail Properties said in the development application documents that the new Spearwood Pl access would provide a “relief valve” during times when the external road network became

congested and caused internal site congestion.

It would provide safe and direct emergency services access when required.

“On a typical day, it is anticipated that the new access will also primarily service a small portion of traffic from the residential catchment located to the west of the shopping centre (which has about 120 houses),’’ the DA documents said.

“This will reduce the number of vehicle movements at the primary Brookfield Rd access.

“The use of this new access is not expected to be significant on a day-to-day basis, as it is

located at the most remote part of the site from the primary parking fields and shopping centre building.’’

People queue up to be tested at Kenmore for Covid-19. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Cars entering and leaving the shopping centre on weekends regularly cause traffic to bank up on Brookfield and Moggill roads.

During Covid lockdowns, massive queues both inside the centre and on neighbouring roads have occurred as people lined up, often for hours, to wait to be tested.

The DA documents claimed that even though the overall number of car spaces would drop, there would still be a surplus of 187 spaces in peak parking periods.

The surplus spaces would ensure sufficient parking supply during construction, the DA said.

An acoustic assessment found there would be no increased noise from the new stand-alone building.

An existing Mitre 10 hardware store would move into the space.

More details on Council’s online development application portal, developmenti. Look for application A005856055