Bigger’s better for $1b precinct

THE long-awaited Coomera Town Centre is growing even before the first sod has been turned, with an expansion of the first stage on the cards, potentially creating another 100 jobs.

The massive centre promises to create 1200 jobs during construction and 1600 permanent positions once it opens.

Developer Westfield wants to add cinemas, offices and even a nightclub to the first stage, which is expected to be started early next year after more than two decades on the drawing board.

The billion-dollar development on Foxwell Rd will be the largest shopping precinct in the city’s north.

Westfield has applied to the Gold Coast City Council to boost the first stage from 55,000sq m to 61,000sq m to take in the new facilities.

Area councillor and city planning boss Cameron Caldwell said the project would be welcomed after so many years in the making.

“The people of Coomera have been waiting for this pro- ject to come to fruition for many years and are now on the cusp of it becoming a reality,” he said.

“Westfield is a market leader in the retail sector and we are lucky to have them being active on the Gold Coast.”

The $500 million first stage was approved by the council last year but stalled until the Exit 54 interchange on the M1 was upgraded. The expanded first stage is believed to be a result of that upgrade, which was finished earlier this year.

The 21,000sq m second stage will include a multi-level department store, a dining precinct, outdoor beach and multiple commercial retail spaces.

The two stages will cover about 83,000sq m.

Gold Coast North Chamber of Commerce president Gary Mays said the project would be a major focal point for the city’s north and create jobs.

But he warned the start of construction would require a traffic solution on Foxwell Rd.

“It needs to be fixed now because the traffic is diabolical,” he said.

The new application, filed by Westfield this week, is expected to go before councillors for approval before Christmas.