SHOPS BOOST FOR LENNOX HEAD
LENNOX Head is set to get a new shopping centre as residential estates transform the formerly sleepy coastal retreat increasingly popular with Gold Coasters.
Clarence Property’s unlisted Westlawn Property Trust has engaged Hutchinson Builders to start work mid-this year on the $30 million Woolworths-anchored centre, which will be located inside Clarence’s Epiq estate.
Approval was granted by the Ballina Shire Council late last year.
The 80ha Epiq Lennox Head site was acquired for $15 million in 2014 and will ultimately comprise 480 dwellings. Twenty per cent of the site is dedicated to parks, sporting fields and conservation areas.
The new shopping centre will feature 18 specialty stores and 5500sq m of floorspace, with Woolworths entering an agreement for a 15-year lease on a 3362sq m tenancy.
A medical centre, BWS bottle store, chemist and gym operator have also been secured for the centre, which will service a trade catchment area of about 8000 people.
CBRE’s Rudi Scutti and Cody Buck are leasing agents for Epiq Marketplace.
Mr Buck said Lennox Head’s growing population means there is sufficient demand for a shopping village.
“Following improvements to the motorway and local roads, Lennox Head is seeing an influx of new residents seeking a sea change,” he said.
“The Epiq community is prime real estate for those looking to build a new home within easy reach of amenities, including this new shopping centre, which is expected to open mid-2020.”
Mr Scutti said they are searching for retailers, including a hairdresser, baker, butcher, newsagent, vet and cafe operators, to fill the remaining vacancies, which range between 28sq m and 240sq m.
Leasing rates have not been disclosed.
The centre will be located on Hutley Drive.
Also under construction at Epiq by Westlawn is a 98-place childcare centre.