First look: Huge $900m Tweed Mall redevelopment in Tweed Heads set to stretch 15-storeys tall
Developers want to spend almost $1 billion on a new “living, breathing precinct” in the heart of Tweed Heads – a huge project flagged to overhaul ageing Tweed Mall. Take a look inside.
Regional News
Don't miss out on the headlines from Regional News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Concept plans for a huge $900 million redevelopment of Tweed Mall at Tweed Heads into a new “living, breathing precinct” over the next decade have been revealed.
The proposed development on the corner of Wharf and Bay streets – right next to the Queensland-NSW border and up to 15-storeys tall – would include a mix of commercial, entertainment, retail, lifestyle, tourist and residential accommodation spaces.
It comes as work continues on the impressive new $723 million Tweed Valley Hospital at Cudgen.
The Tweed Heads proposal includes three supermarkets, a fresh food market, food and beverage shops, specialty retail, a wellness centre and gym, a child care centre for 150-200 children, a medical centre, a cinema complex and a 52-room hotel.
A development application has been lodged with Tweed Shire Council, stating about 530 full-time jobs would be created during construction if approved, “including 190 directly employed in construction activity”.
Several thousand more jobs are flagged to follow once the “precinct” is up and running.
The estimated cost of the work is $906,840,000.
The plan includes up to 13 buildings stretching 49.5m tall separated by open, public spaces comprising a total area of 178,000 sqm – serviced by about 2500 carparking spaces.
“The concept will facilitate connectivity and activation through direct linkages from Frances Street to Jack Evans Boat Harbour, and Bay Street to the Tweed River Promenade,” Town planner Aaron Sutherland of Sutherland and Associates Planning states in planning documents.
“This serves to enliven and activate the site as a destination within Tweed Heads, which forms a natural and organic extension of public life within the city centre.”
Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry said the project’s potential to “enrich the future” of the Tweed “cannot be overstated”.
“The new Tweed Mall site has the opportunity to reframe the narrative and future of the area through reflective design, and it can be a celebration of the diversity of the Tweed’s history and a reflection of our internationally significant environment,” she said.
“Located near the gateway to NSW and sitting on the edge of the beautiful Jack Evans Boat Harbour, this large site has the opportunity to deliver an international standard of food and beverage, retail, commercial, entertainment, tourism and residential uses.
Ms Cherry said the Tweed Heads city centre was in need of revitalisation and the council had been working with the Mall owners and NSW government architects to get “the best outcome possible” for the Tweed.
“What will be vitally important is to ensure that what is planned on the site is sustainable in terms of traffic, parking and transport opportunities along with quality amenity for future residents,” she said.
The redevelopment would also deliver up to 1371 residential units and work would occur in stages over a ten year period.
“The residential development will comprise a diverse housing stock including two-storey terraces, maisonettes and apartments to accommodate and foster a diverse community of residents,” Mr Sutherland said.
Ms Cherry said the project provided an “exciting opportunity” to deliver more housing in the Tweed.
“While it is not possible at this stage to determine the exact number of additional residential properties this project will bring, it provides an exciting opportunity to deliver more housing for the Tweed,” she said.
“Given its central location, this is a great opportunity to provide homes for our key workers like teachers, police and nurses.”
The anticipated economic impact of the enormous twin towns project is detailed in the DA - with hundreds of millions in line to be pumped into the Tweed economy.
The redevelopment is driven by ASX-listed real estate conglomerate Elanor Investors Group.
Join the conversation
‘Ugly posturing’: Councillor’s ‘sad’ welcome to country call slammed
A recently elected Mid-North Coast Libertarian councillor has failed in his attempt to abolish the organisation’s Indigenous welcome to and acknowledgement of country practices. See how the emotional debate panned out.
Read more
‘Kill yourself’: Youth worker appeals knife threat conviction
A Mid-North Coast youth worker who held a knife up to her wife and said “kill yourself” before ripping the shirt off her back when she tried to run, has launched an appeal in the district court.
Read more