Plans unveiled for new shopping centre at Pimpama

Plans have been unveiled for a new shopping centre on the Gold Coast. But council officers have raised some major concerns. Here’s what’s going on.

PLANS have been lodged with the Gold Coast City Council for a new neighbourhood shopping centre at Pimpama.

But council planners have not been wowed by the proposal, acidly writing they are “concerned the proposal does not demonstrate a high architectural standard” and warning it doesn’t include enough car parking.

Developers behind the proposed Pimpama Heights Centre on the corner of Rifle Range Road and The Heights Boulevard are seeking permission for an almost 2000sq m development with 10 outlets.

The centre has been proposed by Bundall-based company RHHT Property Group, whose directors include Riaz Rezvanipour, Hooman Henry Jaffar, Hessam Ghahramanian and Tony Homan Champion.

All are Gold Coast residents who were born in Iran.

The company bought the 6916sq m site on Pimpama’s Hill Drive for $2m in November 2020.

The Pimpama Heights Centre application states that each of the 10 tenancy spaces has been “designed to be flexible so that the spaces are suitable for a range of uses”.

It is hoped a supermarket will anchor the centre while the application also lists a hairdresser, pharmacy, bakery, beauty salon and dry cleaners as possible tenants.

The potential inclusion of a medical centre, gym, restaurant and vet clinic are also flagged.

In response to the application, council officers have sent an “information request”, listing multiple concerns about the proposed development.

Issues raised by council include the building’s appearance, the location of a bike stand beside a proposed communal area and the proposed development’s landscaping.

“The existing and proposed landscape design for Rifle Range Road and The Heights Boulevard frontage lacks substantial sized planting to assist softening the proposed building and is not considered to include an appropriate landscape setting for the local character,” they write.

The planners also raise a number of concerns about the car park, including the number of spaces proposed.

“Council officers do not support the provision of only 69 car spaces,” they write, adding that based on the local authority’s car parking code, 117 spaces would be needed.

The developers have been given until October 19 to respond to council’s concerns.

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Originally published as Plans unveiled for new shopping centre at Pimpama