Warwick Road Yamanto shopping precinct development on 15 hectare site gets approval from Ipswich City Council

The massive retail complex has been given the green light to go ahead. It is only a couple of kilometres down the road from a new shopping centre in a growing Ipswich suburb which opened this year.

A new retail precinct will be built in Yamanto after it was approved by Ipswich City Council.

A huge new retail precinct in Ipswich, which is expected to create more than 400 new jobs, has been given the green light by the council.

But original plans to include a child care centre and medical facilities have been scrapped due to health concerns related to a nearby abattoir.

A development application submitted by Yamanto Holdings Pty Ltd in August last year has now been approved by Ipswich City Council.

The shopping complex will be built on a 15.7 hectare site at Yamanto bounded by Warwick Road, Saleyards Road and Hall Street.

The retail development will take up 7.8 hectares of a 15.7 hectare site in Yamanto.

The single-storey retail development will be built over two lots totalling 7.8 hectares.

It will have a total gross floor area of 18,861 m2 spread across 15 bulky goods tenants and two food and drink outlets but plans for a medical centre and child care centre were dropped.

“These were removed owing to the fact that the applicant was not able to resolve concerns that had been raised by council,” a council memorandum noted.

“Namely, the potential impacts that the proposed development may have on the viability of the currently inoperative Churchill Abattoir through the encroachment of sensitive uses within a state government recommended buffer areas related to Q Fever.

Plans to include a medical centre and child care centre were scrapped.

“Specifically, Q Fever is a bacterial infection passed to humans from animals (including cattle) through the inhalation of dust particles contaminated by infected animals.

“It should also be noted that a future rail corridor is located between the proposed complex and Hall Street however no vertical alignment has been confirmed from a detailed design perspective.”

The development will be accessible via an approved new road network and 518 car parks are planned.

The new development is just a couple of kilometres down the road from Yamanto Central shopping centre.

“Access is predominantly via the future proposed roundabout supported by a left-in/left-out access located between the future roundabout and Warwick Road … and a service vehicle only access located at the rear of the built-form,” the council document noted.

The council raised concerns during the approval process about how this new facility would work in with the expanding Yamanto Town Centre development just a couple of kilometres down the road.

Yamanto Central shopping centre opened ahead of schedule in April.

Foresight Partners was engaged to undertake a third party review of the application.

Approved plans for the precinct.

“Based on the findings of the peer review, FP explicitly state that all proposed uses are supportable at the subject site and further that the economic impacts of the proposal are unlikely to threaten the vitality or viability of the designated Yamanto Centre,” the council report noted.

But it was agreed between the developer and the council that the precinct would not open prior to 2026 to protect the “vitality or viability of the designated Yamanto Centre”.

The original application noted about 440 long term jobs would be created if the development were to proceed, with 200 construction jobs to be created while the facility is built.

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.

Originally published as Warwick Road Yamanto shopping precinct development on 15 hectare site gets approval from Ipswich City Council