Retailers line up city heart | Gladstone News | Local News in Gladstone

A NEW shopping complex is proposed close to the Gladstone central business district that could boast Gladstone's second McDonalds Family Restaurant outlet and yet another Supa IGA.

Linear Commercial, the development arm of Linear Financial, is planning to build a retail complex in the heart of Gladstone, after recently acquiring the remaining blocks of land on a 1.3ha triangular site on Hanson Road.

Linear will now finalise design plans for the centre with architects Thomson Adsett before submitting the project to Gladstone Region Council for approval.

The highly-visible corner site, bound by Glenlyon and Yarroon streets, as well as Hanson Road, is already zoned for commercial use, excluding the residential corner portion of the site.

"We have conferred quite closely with council regarding the centre so are confident that development approval will be achieved once the latest acquisitions of land on the site are re-zoned," Linear's director of commercial property developments Rowan Walters said.

The retail centre will comprise a net lettable area of around 5000 sqm; 2000 sqm of which will be leased to an anchor supermarket while the remaining space will be dedicated to takeaway food outlets and specialty stores.

Mr Walters said Linear Property Developments had already received strong interest from IGA to anchor the retail centre, while LiquorLand, VideoEzy, Subway, Pizza Hut and McDonalds have also expressed interest in taking up space in the complex once it was completed.

An advertisement for the proposed complex issued by Linear and handling agents Raine and Horne shows a conceptual plan of the site with the supermarket on the corner of Glenlyon and Yarroon streets (currently there is second-hand shop there), shops from there to Hanson Road and along Glenlyon Street toward the point of the triangle which contains a takeaway outlets area near Roseberry Street.

An estimated 50% of the city's workforce passes the site along Hanson Road every day.

"Currently there are no retail centres in the northern area of Gladstone's CBD, so the retail centre we are planning has been very well received by the local community," Mr Walters said.

"We are very committed to delivering a first class facility to the people of Gladstone and look forward to working with local council and trades services in the area."