Gold Coast development: New $82m Sunland shopping centre revealed
New images have revealed the spectacular interior of a new $82 million shopping centre planned for the city’s heart. An incredible glass roof and laneways are just some of the features planned.
Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
NEW images have revealed the spectacular interior of a new $82 million shopping centre planned for the city’s heart.
Sunland Group on Thursday filed revamped plans for The Lanes shopping centre at Clear Island Waters.
Documents filed with council over the weekend reveal the stripped back design will see a cinema removed from the project as one of a number of changes made as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The revised proposal is necessary due to a reduced demand for retail and food and beverage outlets than was previously anticipated, and due to there being no cinema operator able to be confirmed for the project,” a planning report on the project reads.
GOLD COAST DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL SERIES
PART ONE: GOLD COAST’S 10 BIGGEST PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
PART TWO: GOLD COAST’S 10 BIGGEST PROJECTS YET TO START
PART THREE: GOLD COAST’S 10 MOST CONTROVERSIAL DEVELOPMENTS
“Should a cinema operator be identified, this will be applied for at the time.”
The Lanes will have 7000 sqm of retail laneways interwoven with a fresh food market hall, cafes, restaurants, a health and wellbeing precinct and a lakeside community green.
Under the original $200 million 2017 proposal, the project would have featured 17,000 sqm of retail space and urban laneways.
The planning documents reveal the project’s design was inspired by that of European cities as well as Palm Springs in California.
“An eclectic source of inspiration has informed the architecture, with influences including the modernist houses of Palm Springs in California for the market hall and medical/health buildings, especially in their serrated roofscapes with glazing below,” the report reads.
“Another influence is the masonry tower elements found in European hilltown villages, particularly for punctuating the single level buildings to the north and the two level buildings to the south.
“A further influence is that of classic courtyard cafes in European cities with a colonnade defining the courtyard spaces.”
THURSDAY
MORE than $82 million will be spent to build the Gold Coast’s newest shopping centre at the heart of a $1.3 billion mini-city.
Developer Sunland Group has filed revamped plans with the Gold Coast City Council for its boutique The Lanes Retail Village.
The retail precinct at Clear Island Waters has been redesigned in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to better suit public tastes.
COST OF UNITS INSIDE SUNLAND’S $1.3B MINI-CITY
The Lanes will have 7000 sqm of retail laneways interwoven with a fresh food market hall, cafes, restaurants, a health and wellbeing precinct and a lakeside community green.
Under the original $200 million 2017 proposal, the project would have featured 17,000 sqm of retail space and urban laneways.
Sunland founder Soheil Abedian said the challenges faced by major shopping centres in the wake of the pandemic made it critical that future retail projects be shaped by the needs of consumers.
“The world has been affected by COVID-19 and this has had an impact on shopping centres, so we re-evaluated what the people would want and what we need to do to fill in the gap between retail and cultural spaces,” he said.
“In line with this, we felt it was more important for people to have more entertainment, restaurants, markets and healthcare.
“The architecture is unique and beautiful and it will be a new destination for the Gold Coast because people want to go out and enjoy time with their family.”
MEGA DEVELOPMENT ‘HELD BACK BY RED TAPE’
The veteran developer has vowed to begin construction within a week of gaining council approval and said it would have a significant economic impact, creating jobs both during construction and once operational.
The new-look centre was designed by architectural firm Blight Rayner in collaboration with Sunland’s in-house design team,
The Lanes will be the first major shopping centre built in the city’s central suburbs since Robina Town Centre opened in April 1996.
Sunland Group managing director Sahba Abedian said the decision to reduce the centre’s size would allow it to evolve in a more natural and sustainable manner.
“With much consideration we realise the profound benefits of starting with a scale that can be enhanced and grow organically as the community evolves,” he said.
“With our focus on fresh food, cafe culture, quality restaurants, health and wellbeing services, and a vibrant lakeside location, The Lanes Retail Village will be popular with both those who call The Lakes community home and the wider Gold Coast region.
“As with all Sunland Group developments, we have placed a strong emphasis on the landscape environment; the precinct will offer an open-air retail experience that will resonate with our residents and visitors, particularly given the ever-changing dynamics due to the COVID-19 virus.”
Sunland bought the site on the corner of Bermuda St and Hooker Boulevard in 2015 and is developing the remaining sections around the shopping precinct as The Lakes masterplanned community.
The first two of four residential towers have already risen on the site, with residents set to move in next year.
How big tech is recalibrating around the DeepSeek threat
Silicon Valley owes its longevity to its ability to pivot and China’s new AI start-up could set it moving in a new direction.
Court told lawyer lost $3m selling family home
An unregistered Gold Coast lawyer has told a court he lost more than $3m selling his family home because of the Global Financial Crisis. Read the latest from court.