Greenbank’s Pub Lane to rise as $220m town centre to cash in on southside growth spurt

A new $220 million town centre south of Brisbane is expected to rise as one of the southside’s major retail hubs with bold plans for a popular tavern complex. Check out our interactive table to show suburbs with the fastest growing residential lot approvals.

Region Group head of development Peter Sharpe said the shopping centre expansion was decided after community calls for an additional supermarket and more retail options. Images: Contributed

Developers of a southside suburb have unveiled plans for a $220 million town centre to cash in on a residential buyer “avalanche” south of Brisbane.

Region Group, which owns one of Australia’s largest diversified shopping centres portfolios, announced the bold plans for the new town centre, on Pub Lane in the heart of Greenbank.

The town centre will be built next to the popular Pub Lane Tavern, and will include a new discount department store, with possibilities including Kmart, Target, BigW or Spotlight.

An additional supermarket, possibly Coles, will also be built in the complex, which already houses the full-line Woolworths supermarket.

There will also be room for a “mini-major” retailer such as JB Hi-Fi, Rebel Sport, Dan Murphys or Cotton On.

Construction will start late next year, pending approval from Economic Development Queensland, with Region Group expected to submit additional development plans for a third stage.

Looking north: The Greenbank Shopping Centre and Pub Lane Tavern complex will undergo a $220 million revamp as developers cash in on a population and building surge.

The suburb made headlines in October when it registered 140 first-home buyers taking up the grant, the most allocated in the state in one suburb.

And Region Group said the buying was expected to continue following the state government’s decision last month to double to first-home grant to $30,000.

The region is expected to become home to an extra 74,000 residents by 2046, according to Queensland Treasury data.

Expansion plans for the Greenbank Shopping Centre, anchored by Woolworths, have been in the pipeline since 2008, when Logan City Council first approved the idea.

Previous developers had planned to build 140 units and townhouses on a portion of 9.5ha of land next to the shopping centre site and submitted development requests to the council in 2021.

The expanded shopping complex will include a variety of grocery retailers, along with a mini-major such as Dan Murphy’s, JB Hi-Fi, Rebel Sport, or Cotton On. Image: Contributed

Those plans generated high interest in the area after it was revealed the state had included provision for a domestic commuter train station next to the shopping centre.

However, the latest plans are only for the shopping centre expansion and only include a portion of the vacant land to the west of the centre along Pub Lane.

The centre will overgo a major expansion.

Region Group head of development Peter Sharpe said the shopping centre expansion was decided after community calls for an additional supermarket and more retail options.

“The faster-than-expected growth in population has given us the confidence to advance our future Stage 3 expansion, which will enable us to deliver both stages together and provide a significant boost to employment for the local area,” he said.

“We are in a strong position to deliver the expansion of Greenbank Shopping Centre.

“We already have an existing approval in place and have been refining our plans to deliver an expanded centre that meets the growing community demand.”

The new town centre will be built next to the popular Pub Lane Tavern. Image contributed

DMA Partners has been appointed as Region Group’s partner and will advise on and manage the project.

Plans show a new department store will be built next to the existing Woolworths with a carpark adjacent to the existing Pub Lane Tavern. Image contributed

Ray White special projects director Tony Williams said the initial townhouse plans sparked “great interest in the area”.

“They have been shelved at the moment but the area is surging ahead and there is huge buyer interest in Greenbank and Flagstone, both government priority development areas,” he said.

“Melbourne developers are still very keen on the area because of its location near Flagstone and the infrastructure planned including the promises of a commuter train station one day.”

Property buyers Michael Bishop and partner Ashley Spicer bought in Greenbank because it suited their budget and they were able to take advantage of the first-home buyers grant. Picture: Contributed

First-home buyers Michael Bishop and his partner Ashley Spicer, a marketing support manager, chose to buy in Greenbank because “it was affordable”.

Mr Bishop, 26, an infrastructure security manager, said building their own home had been a long-term goal and access to a land-and-house loan along with the first homeowners grant made it all possible.

“We found the price of buying a block and the building process more affordable compared to buying an existing home,” he said.

“Our builders have just reached site cut stage, so we anticipate moving in mid-next year.”

■ Region Group and DMA Partners will hold two information displays at Greenbank Shopping Centre on Friday, December 15 from 4pm to 6pm and Saturday, December 16 from 10am to 2pm.