Westfield Knox $450m expansion will make it Australia’s second biggest shopping centre

GUESS which Melbourne shopping centre is set to become the second biggest in Australia.

THE $450 million expansion of Westfield Knox will make it Australia’s second largest shopping centre.

The Wantirna South centre will expand from 142,500sq m to 188,500sq m – putting it on a par with the sprawling Chadstone, which is the nation’s biggest shopping centre at 190,000sq m.

Westfield recently received approval for the redevelopment, but is remaining extremely tight-lipped about its plans and will not confirm the names of new shops to open at the new centre.

The expansion is set to start in 2016 and open in 2017 while a makeover for Knox Ozone will start next year.

Construction on the project — which would see the centre expand south towards Burwood Highway — is expected to create 8000 jobs.

About 2700 car parking spaces will be created in a new basement area and in modified decked parking areas west and north of the existing building.

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Knox Mayor Peter Lockwood said the expansion would help the council’s plans for a city centre in the area.

“There’s a few apartment buildings going up in that area as well, so that all helps in making it a bigger drawcard,” he said.

Aston federal Liberal MP Alan Tudge said the redevelopment would make Westfield Knox the central hub of Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs.

“The new Westfield Knox will provide thousands of local jobs for Knox residents, boost our local economy and make Knox a must-visit shopping destination,” he said.

“Many young Knox residents will get their first jobs working in one of the many new shops. This is an exciting opportunity to reinvigorate the central hub of the Knox community.”

Despite the development application for the expansion being approved at a meeting of Knox Council in October, Westfield’s head of public relations, Anita Sulentic, said the council could not comment on its plans for the site.

“The approval now allows us to progress with our planning, updates of which will be made in due course,” she said.

“The collaborative efforts of the City of Knox during this process have been of great assistance.”

WHAT WE KNOW

■ According to Knox City Council the revamp will create a whopping 8000 jobs — including 1780 direct jobs during construction and 2020 new jobs in the centre

■ Shopping floor expanded from 142,500sq m to 188,500sq m

■ About 2700 new car parking spaces

■ Start 2016, open in 2017

■ Additional makeover of Knox Ozone to start in 2015

■ The existing bus interchange will be removed and a new interchange proposed within Knox Ozone, to the north of Hungry Jacks, requiring demolition of the existing KFC building

■ Knox Library to be relocated to a new temporary tenancy within Knox Ozone

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

■ How many new shops

■ What the new shops will be

■ Whether public transport will be improved to cater for the expansion

■ Whether shoppers will have to pay for parking as they do at Westfield Doncaster