SHOPPING SHOWPIECE
ONE of the great things about the Gold Coast is the dynamism of our business leaders. There are perhaps few who encapsulate this as much as Soheil and Sabha Abedian.
The pair at the head of Sunland think big and boldly and this mirrors the best parts of Gold Coast thinking.
Their Clear Island Waters project, The Lanes, is far from being another beige, boring shopping centre application, the likes of which we have seen plenty of times before. It is clear from the image in today’s Bulletin that their flair is richly woven through it.
The features include 80 shops, cafes, restaurants, a fresh food hall, health and wellbeing services and a boutique cinema.
A variety of offerings, while different from those at the nearby Pacific Fair and Robina Town Centre, puts both shopping meccas on notice that they cannot be complacent in the face of competition.
Greater competition opens up the possibilities of better service for Gold Coasters.
That said, this project, like any other, must be thoroughly assessed and go through the necessary checks and balances to ensure that it not only meets the appropriate guidelines but also enhances the lives of Gold Coast residents.
However, at first blush it appears The Lanes will likely tick these boxes .
More significantly, it may go some way to changing our shopping habits.
The integrated nature of this project, bringing together residential, retail and entertainment offerings, is clever because it acknowledges the increased digitisation of the retail world.
With the onset of online delivery giants like Amazon arriving on Australia, shopping centre solutions need a broad source of revenue and continually innovate to match evolving consumer demands.
Happily in this case the proposal for residential accommodation could in fact meet the remit for infill for our city to drive people closer to infrastructure.
By the time this project would be completed, Stage 3A of the light rail will be close to completion and would be in proximity. For projects of this magnitude, we need to be considering how they fit into the broader Gold Coast masterplan.