Industrial estate plans revealed but homewares hub, Bunnings to be confirmed

A homewares centre and possibly a large Bunnings store may be built in a proposed industrial park if a bayside council approves rezoning 25ha of farmland bordering a disused dump site.

The entrance to a council-owned dump site near the proposed business park on Giles Rd. Picture: Judith Kerr

A homewares centre could be built in a proposed industrial estate, if a bayside council gives the green light for the project on 25ha of poultry farm and cow paddocks bordering a disused dump site.

Redland development company Carndale has unveiled its plans to build a 160,000 sqm commercial precinct, featuring 80,000 sqm of space for factories and offices on busy Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd.

Carndale is known for its nearby projects including the 3500-lot Shoreline estate and its shopping centres at Redland Bay and Victoria Point.

Redlands Business Park, owned by Carndale affiliate Fox and Bell, is to the south of the site with a council-owned infill dumping ground to the north.

Redlands Business Park is at capacity according to the owners Carndale and Fox and Bell. Picture: Judith Kerr

Plans for the commercial precinct were publicised this month and include a new set of traffic lights on the state-owned Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd.

Redland City Council has given residents until July 15 to comment on the plans and the new traffic lights.

A traffic report, commissioned by Carndale, said the project required access to the busy main road via a new signalised T-intersection about 500m from the existing Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd intersection with Giles Rd and about 560m from the German Church Rd intersection to the south.

It is unknown how long it will take for the application to undergo the approval process after the state government forced Carndale back to the drawing board in April calling for pedestrian crossings and pathways at nearby intersections at Giles Rd and Double Jump Rd.

Carndale director Greg Bell said the existing Redlands Business Park was at capacity and had been a success with all sites sold and the new site had already been included in the state government’s Southeast Regional Plan.

Carndale director Greg Bell. Pictures: Contributed

He said he expected some opposition to the plans from those who did not want to see the region change and denied that his company had objected to vacant land opposite the proposed industrial estate being used for an Aldi shopping centre.

Mr Bell was unable to comment on whether a new bigger Bunnings would be built at the industrial estate but said the closest Bunnings, at Victoria Point, was “only small”.

“The state government sees the need for localised employment and this will benefit a lot of people in relation to traffic as fewer people will have to leave the shire for work when it’s up and running,” he said.

“If we can create nicer workplaces for people and do it in a way that enhances the block and takes nature into consideration.

“Whether there will be traffic lights on the main Cleveland-Redland Bay Road is with the state government but we believe lights, as opposed to a roundabout, at that location are the best and safest way for people to access to the site.

“If we are going to do an industry park in Redland, where I grew up, I want it to be the best out there.”

Plans for the traffic lights on Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd. Picture: Supplied

The council recently ruled out allowing land opposite Carndale’s proposed industrial site to be used for a retail grocery outlet.

Deputy mayor Julie Talty said “there is a proposal to extend the Redland Business Park to provide for large-scale warehousing and logistics and to provide more opportunity for local employment’’.

“There will not be any direct access to the main road,’’ she said.

“The application for a shopping centre, possibly an Aldi mentioned, was on the opposite side of the main road (to the proposed industrial estate) and School of Arts Rd. It was refused as there was never a planning intention for shops there.”

A Google map showing a blue dot marking the proposed new business estate. Picture: Google

Carndale developed the former Redland Bay Village into a new modern shopping centre anchored by Woolworths with Fox and Bell also developing the highly successful Lakeside in the Victoria Point shopping precinct.

Its Shoreline estate, built without town sewerage connections, made headlines this month when it became part of an ACCC investigation into the takeover of Lendlease estates by a Stockland-led consortium.

Originally published as Industrial estate plans revealed but homewares hub, Bunnings to be confirmed