‘Next generation’ shopping center approved for development in Kingston

A $45 million next generation retail center has been approved for the growing suburb south of Hobart.

Kingborough Council has given the green light to Tipalea Partners’ plans for the village of Spring Farm in Kingston, 12km south of the Tasmanian capital’s central business district.

It is expected that the construction of the center with an area of ​​7,500 sq. m will be completed on the site opposite Bunnings on the Canal Highway in early 2026.

Located on the site of the Coles supermarket, which will be Kingborough’s largest, the center will also include the region’s first Chemist Warehouse supermarket, as well as specialist retailers including food and drink and beauty services.

According to the developer, the center will create more than 1,100 jobs.

“In a testament to pent-up retail demand in Kingston, Spring Farm Village is already 70 percent leased,” Tipalea Partners said in a statement.

One of Hobart’s fastest-growing regions, Kingston’s population is forecast to increase by 7,000 people over the next 10 years.

The center was designed by i2C Architects and aims to serve the growing population from Huntingfield to Margate and Snug.

It will also be the most technologically advanced and environmentally sustainable shopping center south of Hobart, according to the developer.

Features include a full solar array, electric vehicle charging stations, weather station, free Wi-Fi, wireless charging stations, cloud-based CCTV throughout the property, vehicle meters, duress intercoms and a building information panel.

Spring Farm Village is the developer’s sixth development in Tasmania and the second shopping center in the state after Glebe Hill Village in Howrah, 12km east of Hobart city centre. The center, which opened in August 2022, is now listed for sale and is being marketed by JLL.

Tipalea’s plans to build an 8,000 sq. m. shopping center. m in Devonport recently stalled due to a zoning change and an appeal to the Tasmanian Planning Commission.

The company has built neighborhood shopping centers in Mackay in Queensland, Pimpama on the Gold Coast and Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales.

Retail transactions in Tasmania have topped $130 million since the start of the year, according to JLL Research.

It said the state is on track to achieve its highest annual retail transaction volume, potentially surpassing the $175 million record since 2015.