Toowoomba council to assess new shopping centre with IGA supermarket planned for Millmerran

A new shopping centre is planned that could inject a significant amount of money into a small town southwest of Toowoomba - if the newly released designs are approved by the council.

Concept art by Wiltshire Stevens Architecture for the proposed Millmerran IGA shopping village, which has been lodged with the Toowoomba Regional Council.

A small town southwest of Toowoomba is set for a massive economic injection, with a pair of developers lodging plans for a new shopping centre.

Rowan Schubel and Damian Dannison have submitted plans to the Toowoomba Regional Council for a single-storey shopping village on the corner of Campbell and Nardoo Streets in Millmerran.

The two-stage project will see the town’s IGA relocated to the site as the anchor supermarket,

with multiple specialty stores including a possible new eatery also proposed.

The IGA is currently located at a much smaller parcel up the road on Campbell Street.

In the planning report by Wiltshire Stevens Architects, Mark Hadner said the development will have a total floor area of nearly 1800 sqm and feature more than 60 car parks to support traffic to the site.

Concept art by Wiltshire Stevens Architecture for the proposed Millmerran IGA shopping village, which has been lodged with the Toowoomba Regional Council.

“A skillion Colorbond sheet metal roof is proposed behind a perimeter metal batten valance screen with a pedestrian awning over the footpath verge along the full street frontage of the building,” the report said.

“Between the stages is an open central courtyard with high level roof providing the principal pedestrian entry focus.

“The facade will be a combination of glass shopfront, face brickwork, rendered and painted masonry.

“Public artwork is proposed for the southern end of the Campbell Street frontage and Nardoo Street corner.”

Concept art by Wiltshire Stevens Architecture for the proposed Millmerran IGA shopping village, which has been lodged with the Toowoomba Regional Council.

Several shed buildings on the property will be demolished to make way for the centre.

The project is code-assessable, meaning it will not require any public notification period.

It comes six months after Mr Schubel and Mr Dannison paid more than $600,000 for the 5400 sqm parcel in 2023.

The application appears to be the first major retail proposal for Millmerran since the Toowoomba Regional Council amalgamated in 2008.

The town’s population has remained steady in recent years, with census data between 2016 and 2021 revealing little change in the number of residents.