Construction begins on $30m retail hub in booming estate north of Brisbane

A private jetty to pick up your groceries, because why not – this new $30m retail precinct north of Brisbane has it all. SEE THE PLANS HERE

Restaurants, an IGA, medical centre and a patisserie will be among the first tenants at a new $30 million retail hub in Newport.

The multi million dollar retail precinct, Newport Marketplace, is part of the master planned community currently being developed by Stockland.

Construction has been a long time coming with Moreton Bay Regional Council first approving the plans by Axis Capital in December 2017.

Axis Capital director Brett Gillan says it’s been a long journey.

“We are very excited to start construction on stage 1, we are also aware the community has been waiting patiently,” he said.

“The location of the project is far too unique to simply rehash what has been done before.

“To get the right design outcome and in particular the right tenants who share our vision for the project takes time.”

Mr Gillan said Covid-19 also hampered their efforts to start work.

The 1.46ha block at 2 Spinnaker Boulevard will be delivered in three stages with Hutchinson Builders engaged for stage one.

Construction of the first stage is set to take around a year with tenants a physiotherapist, dentist, gym and pilates studio also set to join.

But there’s more to come.

“There are still a few tenancies still to be locked in and we are working at getting the right tenants before the centre is completed,” Mr Gillan said.

Stage 1 will also feature a jetty and layby berths so customers can arrive by boat to the centre.

There will be a total of 148 car park spaces for shoppers.

Mr Gillan said residents won’t notice too much at first.

“There is a lot of construction work to happen in the ground initially so there is not much to see from the outside,” he said.

“Before the end of the year you will see steelwork being erected and the roof starting to take shape.”

The design of the building comes with some additional pizzazz with a section of the building to be shipped from America.

“A signature design feature of the development is the white awning nosing that runs around the edge of the building,” Mr Gillan said.

“That piece will be an aluminium extrusion made in Brisbane from a specially made dye.

“The sections of the nosing that will eventually be curved will be shipped to America to be curved in a stretch form and then shipped back to Brisbane to be painted finally and erected on site.

“It’s a long and complicated process but is a very unique signature feature of the project and worth the effort.”