‘In need of some love’: Truth behind Australia’s saddest mall

A sleepy coastal town is set to get the shock of a lifetime, with residents and shop owners fearing chaos.

In a sleepy town on the NSW north coast sits one of the most depressing shopping centres in the nation, with boarded-up shops, fading signs and graffiti scrawled all over the place.

Several of the shopfronts have been left empty, and replaced with “community libraries” and “justice of the peace” locations, which are little more than a few plastic chairs and tables with some books.

The main sign for the mall has faded to almost white, with the exterior suffering from major wear and tear.

Now, the sad Tweed Heads shopping centre is set to undergo a 10-year redevelopment worth almost $1 billion to become the next major coastal city. But rather than welcoming the much needed makeover, shop owners and residents fearing the plans will bring chaos to the sleepy retiree town.

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Tweed Heads Mall has seen better days. Picture: News Corp Australia

Tweed Mall is about to undergo a facelift. Picture: News Corp Australia

Sydney real estate funds manager Elanor Investors Group has been approved to build a giant $900-million precinct at the site of the Tweed Heads mall in hopes of bringing the NSW-Queensland border town to life.

The plans include 1400 townhouses and apartments, three supermarkets, a fresh food market, a 52-room hotel, major office spaces, a medical centre, a cinema complex, a gym and a childcare centre. The development application was approved in July last year with concept plans for the design signed off in December by council.

The site is set to be replaced with a development which is set to take ten years. Picture: Supplied

Tweed Heads mayor Chris Cherry said the town is ‘in need of some love’.

The plans have sent shockwaves through the community, with fears the town does not have the facilities to accommodate the extra residents and visitors.

News.com.au visited the current Tweed Heads mall, which is now in limbo as plans continue to be approved by the council. The new development is set to take a decade and is slated for completion in 2036.

Empty store fronts have not been replaced. Picture: Supplied

The $900 million masterplan for Tweed. Picture: Tweed City Council

Michael Pedlow, who has owned Loots homewares at Tweed for almost 20 years, said he feared the developments would remove the town’s easygoing vibe.

He also said a lot of business owners had been hit by the cost of living crisis, with Mr Pedlow recently closing down his store in Burleigh.

“It’s a real community feel here. You walk past and people wave at you here,” he said.

“It’s not worth spending the money here in Tweed. People don’t want it to be crowded. It just wouldn’t work.”

Mr Pedlow said a lot of stores currently in Tweed Heads Mall would not survive the development.

“People can’t afford anymore hikes, let alone a big jump,” he said.

“Businesses will close down.”

Vinnie, who has owned Harry’s Discount Variety store in the mall for the past two decades, said he was already considering closing down as many of the mall’s closed-down shops had not been replaced.

Design concepts for Tweed. Picture: Tweed City Counil

The masterplans were signed off by council in December. Picture: Supplied

“It’s just all pop-up shops now. We are not happy,” he said.

“(The supermall) just won’t work here. It’s all retirees. We don’t have the parking and the traffic will be bad, because there is only one road in and out.”

Across the road, Tweed Heads Arcade has also been left with a slew of empty stores and is riddled with graffiti.

Tweed Heads arcade is also looking worse for wear. Picture: News Corp Australia

Speaking to news.com.au, Tweed Heads mayor Chris Cherry said she was aware the mall was “in need of some love”.

“It’s basically been the same since I was a kid,” she said.

“But there is slated to be a lot of growth in Tweed over the coming years. Tweed doesn’t have to become the Gold Coast but in saying that, there is a really opportunity to match the density to the Gold Coast.”

Shop owners say they will be forced to close down due to the development. Picture: Tweed City Council

Ms Cherry also said she hoped the development would bring more young people and tourists to the area.

“The more people that we can get to turn right at (Gold Coast) airport the better,” she said.

“Being able to have that density with residential living and commercial, it’s a good mix to revitalise the city hub. It’ll be a pretty popular, and there is great potential for lifestyle.”

Over the past five years, the median house price in Tweed Heads has almost doubled from $700,000 to $1.31 million.

Originally published as ‘In need of some love’: Truth behind Australia’s saddest mall