Development to increase the “convenience, lifestyle and family-friendly experiences” at Holmview Central Shopping Centre has been approved following years of delays.
Queensland-based developer Lancini Group, which owns the Holmview shopping centre and four others in south-east Queensland, have lodged several development applications since 2017, including a $130 million plan to expand the centre in 2018.
That application, which included cinemas, was denied by Logan City Council in June of 2019.
A spokesperson for Logan City Council said the application Lancini Group lodged in 2019, “did not adequately demonstrate the economic and locational need for the extension and failed to illustrate how it would avoid adverse impacts on surrounding centres”.
“Issues relating to the built form, unsuitable access arrangements and the failure to address landslide hazards and steep slope risks also contributed to the decision.”
Lancini Group appealed the council’s decision to the Planning and Environment Court, but later withdrew its appeal in April 2022 and abandoned that version of its expansion plans.
Then, in November 2022, the development company unveiled updated plans that would cost $90 million and include a tavern – but no cinemas.
Logan City Council said the revised application improved road access to the centre and increased car parking capacity.
As a result, the council determined Lancini Group’s revised proposal would “deliver substantial economic and community benefits to the area.”
The application was approved “with conditions” on 1 October this year.
Lacini Group said the newly approved plans marked a “major milestone” for the centre and the community.
“This is a very exciting time for our team and the Centre, and we’re looking forward to working through the remaining stages of the process to get the expansion works underway,” Lancini Group said in a post to social media last week.
The expansion is expected to include a new family-friendly hotel with indoor and alfresco dining, a sports bar, several play areas, a second supermarket (in addition to the Woolworths at the current centre) and new speciality retailers.
Increased parking capacity and upgrades to the adjacent roads and intersections will also be built to accommodate a larger number of centre visitors.
In 2017, Lancini Group requested that Logan City Council rezone Holmview Central Shopping Centre from a local shopping centre precinct to a district shopping centre precinct, which would allow a second supermarket, a discount department store, and a six-screen cinema complex to be built.
This request was rejected by councillors in September of that year to limit competition or pressure on businesses in Beenleigh, a suburb the council was actively trying to revitalise at the time.
In 2018, a development application which included a second supermarket, discount department store and six-screen cinema complex was submitted and declined by council administrators in June of 2019, despite receiving 385 of 481 submissions in favour of the expansion, News Corp reported following the decision.
In November 2022, Lancini Group submitted another development application without a cinema complex or discount department store.
“We appreciate that some of your [the communities’] comments and concerns relate to changes in the expansion plan, particularly the removal of the cinema concept and Discount Department Store,” Lancini Group said in a social media post last week.
“This decision was made in response to feedback from secured retail brands, as well as broader shifts in customer behaviour following the pandemic, with many businesses re-evaluating their future operations.
“In adapting the plan, we recognised the community’s strong interest in more entertainment and diverse retail options in the area, which is one of the reasons why the Hotel/Tavern was included in the latest proposal.”
The road to expanding Holmview Central has been a bumpy one for Lancini Group.
In November 2024, Lancini’s Landel company lodged an objection to Logan City Council and the state government’s approval of Start Logan River Road Pty Ltd’s Officeworks, IGA and tavern complex, according to News Corp.
Lancini Group objected to the development as it said they would threaten the viability of Holmview’s centres, which are down the road.
Lancini Group also complained that the proposed size of the IGA supermarket, 1200sqm, was larger than the council’s Mixed Use Zone limits, which require shops to be 200sqm per tenancy.
“The proposal does not comply with relevant assessment benchmarks under the Planning Scheme,” the objection said.
“The proposed shop is not small-scale and does not serve a local workforce’s daily needs … but rather to attract a broader catchment, undermining the local centre hierarchy.”
MyCity Logan contacted Lancini Group for comment.
Image: Holmview Central Shopping Centre Facebook
