Business park to ‘set new standard’
PROPERTY investment group Alceon has plans for a massive business park after buying a vacant site once slated for Gold Coast City Council’s ill-fated “Taj Mahal” headquarters at Robina.
Alceon is due to settle on the purchase of the 9921sq m parcel, at 209 Robina Town Centre Drive adjoining Robina Train Station, in two weeks.
The company said it will start work on the first building of the Acuity Business Park by March this year with a goal of constructing 15,000sq m of net lettable area across three office buildings.
Alceon has secured a longterm lease from an unnamed tenant to take 4500sq m of space across three floors of the first building, which is scheduled for completion in July, 2020.
Alceon project director Paul Huston said the buildings will set the standard for office accommodation on the Coast, which, he said, often failed to meet the demands of modern corporations.
”Robina is considered an ideal location for the next commercial business park because of its large population, which is predicted to more than double within the next 10 years,” he said.
“This is supported by the low rental vacancy rates for residential and commercial property reflecting a vibrant growth corridor for corporate occupiers seeking a point of difference.”
He said the business park will incorporate a contemporary design with park spaces, internal void areas for natural light, and a number of break-out areas.
CBRE director of office leasing Nick Selbie will head up the leasing campaign for the business park.
Mr Selbie said the time was right for new office buildings on the Gold Coast.
He said Robina had historically led the way with declines in its office vacancy rate.
“Overall the market vacancy sits at 11.6 per cent and is forecast to dip below 10 per cent by the end of this year,” he said.
Alceon has received council approval for the first two office buildings but not the third.
Mr Huston said the first two stages had a value of up to $30 million to the local economy.
The council has sold the Robina site to help fund the Evandale cultural precinct in Bundall.
It purchased the block for $10.99 million in 2010 as part of a controversial plan to build a new $200 million headquarters at Southport or Robina dubbed the Taj Mahal.
The plan was shelved two years later when the council purchased two buildings at Bundall to house about twothirds of council office staff and decided to create a cultural precinct at Evandale.