An artist’s impression of the new Googong Town Centre, displaying the locations of Coles, the Googong Hotel and Community Centre. Photo: Googong Township, Facebook.
The word is out on who will occupy the up-and-coming Googong Town Centre as anchor tenant.
Supermarket giant Coles will join a medical centre, gym, library, community centre, council shopfront and 25 other shops – including cafes and restaurants – in a new $44 million main retail centre in the NSW town, near Queanbeyan.
It will be adjacent to Googong’s Bunyip Park and accompanied by three major carparks.
The population of Googong currently numbers about 7000, largely serviced by the IGA in the Googong North Village Centre. For anything more, residents have to drive into Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra or Canberra.
But it’s hoped the new Googong Town Centre – roughly Manuka-sized – will become a “hub for residents” and help cater to a projected population of 18,000 in the coming years. More than 4500 of these people will live in the second neighbourhood of Googong Central.
Googong project director Malcolm Leslie described the introduction of a Coles supermarket as “a significant milestone for the township which will enhance the lifestyle opportunities for the local community”.
“These facilities … fit within a masterplan concept for the Googong Town Centre that we have envisioned to provide a mix of convenience, employment and community connectivity for residents and visitors alike,” he said.
Coles state general manager Ivan Slunjski expects the new supermarket to create hundreds of new local retail and construction jobs, “as well as offer more choice, great value and an enhanced shopping experience for local residents”.
An artist’s impression of the Googong Hotel. Photo: Googong Township.
It’s the second big announcement for the area this year.
In March, property developers Peet and Mirvac partnered with the owners of the Royal Hotel in Queanbeyan, Anthony and Sandy McDonald, on plans to bring a dramatic, architecturally designed pub, function and entertainment facility to the Bunyip Lake foreshore.
The $25m Googong Hotel will seat more than 700 people, including in excess of 400 throughout the ground-level dining areas, when it opens in 2025.
Future stages for the Town Centre include a second major supermarket, more shops, residential apartments, and a community centre including a library and council shopfront.
A site further south, recently purchased by property development company Stevens Group, will also house a childcare centre, fast-food outlets, a petrol station and other “large formal retail outlets that are complementary to the main retail centre”.
Stevens Group development director Jason Capuano said the team had “worked hand in glove” with the community.
“Our retail site combined with the wider Town Centre offerings will provide residents with options that we believe will become an integral part of Googonians’ day-to-day lives,” he said.
The total construction cost for the Googong Town Centre development, which includes the main centre, the southern site and the Googong Hotel, is expected to exceed $82m.
Development across all sites is estimated to create approximately 345 construction jobs and then 640 permanent jobs upon completion.
Construction will commence later this year, with the Googong Town Centre anticipated to open in 2025.
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