Doncaster Bunnings to be built next to Westfield Doncaster

BUNNINGS and Westfield will be neighbours in Melbourne’s east, where apartments will be built on top of a new hardware store as part of a $73m development.

Apartments will be built on top of a new multi-level Bunnings at Doncaster. Picture: Christopher Chan

CONSTRUCTION on the long-awaited Doncaster Bunnings is finally set to go ahead after Manningham Council gave the green light to the latest version of the plans.

The $73m development will go up next door to Westfield Doncaster and include 250 apartments — 99 flats on top of the 11,000sq m multi-level store as well as two apartment towers.

There will be 350 carparks for shoppers.

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Initially the Bunnings development threatened a legal battle between the retail giants, with Westfield concerned it would affect future growth of its massive Doncaster complex, which has recently announced a massive $500 million expansion.

There were further worries about traffic chaos created by the proximity of the apartment towers on top of the Bunnings store and Westfield, but the retail giants ironed out the problems with the towers moving to the other side of the development site and the hardware store shifting even closer to Westfield.

It is not yet known when construction will start, but Andrew Marks, Bunnings’ property manager said development would be undertaken in three stages and was designed in line with Manningham Council’s vision for Doncaster Hill.

There will be 600 people employed during the construction with the spin-off benefit of these workers buying lunch and coffee at neighbouring Westfield Doncaster.

Once Bunnings is open, about 200 jobs will be up for grabs.

Bunnings announced plans for the development in 2013 but negotiations with stakeholders have kept keen home renovators waiting.