Coles Varsity Lakes: New shopping centre - first look at plans

Supermarket giant Coles has unveiled plans for a giant new shopping centre in the heart of a busy Gold Coast suburb.

SUPERMARKET giant Coles has unveiled plans for a giant new shopping centre in the heart of Varsity Lakes.

The new retail complex is earmarked for a 8670 sqm site on the corner of Bellevue Drive and Main Street. It will replace an existing three-storey commercial building which was once the home surfwear company Billabong International.

Varsity Lakes residents have long feared further development in the area putting increasing pressure on the suburb’s notoriously narrow streets.

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Artist impression of the new Coles shopping centre proposed for Varsity Lakes.

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Area councillor Hermann Vorster vowed the project would be subjected to a rigorous assessment from council officers and a large-scale community consultation program to address any concerns.

Cr Vorster said he maintained an “open and persuadable mind” on the development.

“A supermarket development means one less site which could be redeveloped into hundreds of new apartments and this will give us a better mix of residential and commercial projects in the central business district,” he said.

“My keen interest is that any development provides a significant amount of carparking but also pedestrian linkages which will give locals the opportunity to leave the car at home while still picking up the essentials.

“If supported through the planning process it is possible this supermarket will create an anchor tenant for the CBD which will allow locals to spend more time in their own backyard and create more foot traffic.”

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Artist impression of the new Coles shopping centre proposed for Varsity Lakes.

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The shopping centre will have a 3236 sqm Coles, a 153 sqm Liquorland bottle shop and two specialty shops.

It will have 169 parking spaces, plus four click and collection spots.

Coles bought the site for $7.2 million back in July.

The building on the property was developed by Varsity Lakes developer Delfin Lend Lease in the late ’90s and designed in a campus style, with a corridor bisecting the building.

Billabong took a five-year lease on the building in 2005.

In January it became home to new independent school group Mastery Schools Australia.

The development is directly across the road from Homecorp’s giant $250 million, four tower Capital Court residential project.

Approved in late 2020, the towers, of between nine and 10 storeys each, will feature nearly 400 units.

Construction is underway and it is expected to open in 2022.

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