A peek inside Australia’s largest family-owned shopping centre
With the help of a design competition to engage the local community, the $200 million redevelopment of Narellan Town Centre – one of the largest retail projects in Greater Sydney – has been unveiled to applause.
Narellan Town Centre opened in 1995 with 84,000 sqm. But a much-anticipated extension has delivered an extra 70,000 sqm and 220 retail stores, as well as an additional 3,615 car spaces to service the expanded town centre.
The largest family-operated shopping complex in Australia is owned by Dart West Retail.
The redevelopment, delivered by retail construction specialist Mainbrace, positions the centre to capitalise on the significant population and employment growth forecast in Sydney’s south west growth corridor.
The construction program involved a major extension of the existing shopping centre on the south side of Camden Valley Way, which added roughly 27,000 sqm of net lettable area (NLA).
Meanwhile, on the greenfield site on the north side of the main arterial road, a new connected centre boasts 23,207 sqm of NLA.
A 38-metre wide pedestrian link bridge spanning 48 metres across Camden Valley Way at the retail level – the full width of the shopping mall – seamlessly integrates the north and south precincts.
According to Dart West Retail’s director Arnold Vitocco, the redevelopment will change the way local people shop.
“There was a lot of escape expenditure in our studies. Narellan suffered from people only being able to do half or three quarters of what they needed to do. We now complete that,” Vitocco explains.
“It’s what has been missing in Narellan – the entertainment food precinct to complement our cinemas. You have more to do here now than just your grocery shopping. On any given night, there are people here with their families. It is a great place to come down and interact,” he adds.
As part of the project, Mainbrace completed external landscaping, plazas, entertainment precincts and two new civic squares. Mainbrace also completed a range of fitouts for retailers including Coles, Kmart, Target, H&M and Woolworths.
An invitation-only design competition called for an engaging and welcoming external plaza, as well as public and landscape spaces.
Mainbrace’s project director, Michael Witts, says the exercise was important, and despite being a “departure from the DA-approved design, we were able to assist in presenting the changes to Council to ensure the winning scheme could be adopted without impacting the overall program”.
Mark Perich, also a director of Dart West Retail, says the revitalised town centre reflects evolving community needs and expectations.
“We want people to actually stay here in Narellan rather than have to travel to shop. It means a lot to us to see it open and to see such a high class and quality piece of infrastructure in south west Sydney.”