Bankstown Central Shopping Centre

Bankstown Central Shopping Centre

Rooftop Entrance
Coordinates 33°54′58″S 151°02′18″E / 33.91603056°S 151.0383611°E / -33.91603056; 151.0383611Coordinates: 33°54′58″S 151°02′18″E / 33.91603056°S 151.0383611°E / -33.91603056; 151.0383611
Opening date 1966
Developer Vicinity Centres
Management Vicinity Centres
Owner
No. of stores and services 323
No. of anchor tenants 8
Total retail floor area 85,799 m2 (923,530 sq ft)
No. of floors 3
Parking 3,295
Website www.bankstowncentral.com.au

Bankstown Central Shopping Centre is a shopping centre situated in Bankstown, Sydney, Australia. Opened as "Bankstown Square" on 21 September 1966, it was at the time Australia's largest[1] and was one of Sydney's first major shopping centres.[2] The development of the shopping centre was a moment of significance in the development of Bankstown as a satellite centre of south-western Sydney.

Today, the Centre has over 310 specialty stores including a number of major retail stores. The shopping centre has undergone several refurbishments and additions. The most recent work involved extension of the shopping complex to a block of land opposite Lady Cutler Avenue.

History

The shopping centre was developed as "Bankstown Square" by Lend Lease Corporation and opened in 1966. It was at the time Australia's largest shopping centre, and remained for many years the flagship property in Lend Lease's portfolio.[3] It was also one of Sydney's first major shopping centres.[4] The development of the shopping centre was a moment of significance in the development of Bankstown as a satellite centre of south-western Sydney. it brought major retailers such as David Jones Limited, the premium department store, to the area for the first time.

In 2002, the centre was owned 50-50 by the General Property Trust (GPT) and the Government Superannuation Office (GSO). In October 2002, GPT divested its 50% interest in Bankstown Square to Centro Properties Group for $176 million,[5] the remaining 50% share was sold to another Centro vehicle in 2003. The shopping centre was renamed "Centro Bankstown".

Centro Properties Group was restructured in 2011 due to financial difficulty and accounting irregularities. The successor entity, Federation Limited, rebranded the centre to "Bankstown Central" in 2013.

Timeline

An entrance to the shopping centre from the rooftop carpack, at night.

Redevelopment

The shopping centre has undergone a two-stage major "redevelopment program" which was completed in mid-2008.

Stage I (2006-2007): Extensions, Relocations, New Malls

Expansion of Bankstown Central 2008
Bankstown Central 2008

In July 2006, the extension to the complex was completed adding 26,000 m² of retail space and bringing the total gross leasable area to 66,500 m².[6] It features a new Woolworths, the largest Big W in NSW, as well as 28 additional specialty stores. Franklins moved to the old Woolworths premises in December, 2006, and a new mall featuring twenty new stores opened in November 2007 where it was once located. The new mall connects the Grand Market fresh food area with the food court. New stores were opened (e.g. Game, Bankwest), some stores closed down (e.g. JB Hi-Fi, Tandy), while others relocated (e.g. Best & Less) or underwent major renovations (e.g. Dick Smith Electronics).

Stage II (2007-2008): Myer Bankstown

Myer opened on May 17, 2008, on the site of the old David Jones store. David Jones pulled out of the Bankstown site after the 40-year lease of the store was up because the area did not fit their demographics, making the store unprofitable.[7] This is similar to the swap that happened at Westfield Eastgardens and Westfield Burwood, the latter in a reverse direction with David Jones replaced a Myer store. The Bankstown Myer store stocks more than the old David Jones store and is the largest store at Bankstown at 10,150m². Plus a new NAB branch was located next to the RTA. In a later stage Federation Centres will be planning to add another level (4) to its main centre.

Incident

On 29 April 2016, a shooting incident occurred on a rooftop carpark of Bankstown Central just before midday. One person was shot dead and two others were injured. The shooting was a targeted and payback attack and the incident could be connected with a fatal shooting in Condell Park earlier on April. The carpark was closed after the incident and the centre continued trading as normal.[8]

Public transport

At Centro Bankstown a bus interchange is located at the Jacobs Street entry. A taxi stand is located at the Jacobs Street entry and Bankstown railway station is only a short distance from Bankstown Central situated off the North Terrace.

References

  1. ↑ Clark L (2002) Finding a Common Interest. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
  2. ↑ Bankstown Square, Dictionary of Sydney
  3. ↑ Clark L (2002) Finding a Common Interest. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
  4. ↑ Bankstown Square, Dictionary of Sydney
  5. ↑ General Property Trust Archive News Archived August 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. - gpt.com.au, retrieved 17 August 2006.
  6. ↑ Centro Press Release Archived August 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. - burnett.com.au, retrieved 17 August 2006.
  7. ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/David-Jones-dumps-Bankstown-store/2007/05/17/1178995279971.html
  8. ↑ "'This isn't a random shooting': Man targeted in Sydney killing". ABC News. 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-05-01.

External links

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