Reclusive billionaire Gordon Fu starts work on Sunny Park shopping centre reno
A reclusive billionaire who is one of Qld’s biggest shopping centre owners has started the demolition of a famous Brisbane centre as part of major renovation works.
Southeast
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One of Queensland’s biggest but least known shopping centre moguls has begun work on a major upgrade of an ageing southside centre.
Secretive billionaire Taiwanese Gordon Fu planned a major upgrade of his Sunny Park property in Sunnybank which he bought for just $13 million back in 1993.
The family company, Yu Feng, the second biggest shopping centre owners after Westfield, have announced a suite of features including new travelator access and basement amenities, an upgraded facade and internal expansion of Woolworths.
The centre would remain open during the work, expected to be finished by January, 2025.
The family also own Sunnybank Plaza, on the other side of the McCullough St/Mains Rd intersection.
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Locals have complained that Sunny Park was in need of an upgrade.
It includes a Fresco, Woolies, Priceline, medical centre, Asian eateries, florist, jeweller, newsagent and karaoke bar.
After Mr Fu bought it he refocused the tenancies to reflect the large Asian population in the area, including a bakery which sold Taiwanese bread.
Temporary fencing has been installed in the northern carpark and in front of the mall entry, with the best parking now in the underground carpark.
The Woolworths Direct to Boot has been closed but its Click and Collect pick up service was still available.
A similar number of parking spaces would be reinstated when completed.
A huge hole recently appeared in the carpark, sparking memories of Sunnybank’s days as the salad bowl of Brisbane.
The suburb’s rich red volcanic soil supported custard apple, pawpaw and other orchards up until about 50 years ago when the area was subdivided.
Sunnybank Plaza was a vacant site for years and known as “Red Hill’’ by a generation of daredevil children who rode their BMX bikes in a large excavated pit at the site.
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