June 21 2010
Laing O’Rourke has been appointed preferred contractor for a major expansion and redevelopment of Stockland’s Aitkenvale shopping centre in Townsville, further cementing our presence in the north Queensland city.
The Stockland project win follows the recent announcement that Laing O’Rourke will develop the Townsville Marine Precinct upgrade.
Laing O'Rourke General Manager (Building North) Lawrie Foster said both projects reflected strong growth in the Townsville region.
“The Aitkenvale shopping centre and the Townsville Marine Precinct are high-profile projects in the city and will establish Laing O’Rourke as a construction leader in Townsville,” Mr Foster said.
North Queensland Area Manager Bill Douglas said the successful project win was a result of a lot of hard work from an exceptional team over many months.
“Leading on from our appointment on the Townsville Marine Precinct Alliance, now well underway, this result really consolidates Laing O'Rourke's position in the north Queensland market and gives us a solid foundation to build on," Mr Douglas said.
Laing O’Rourke has extensive retail sector experience including the recently completed Mount Ommaney shopping centre in Brisbane and the Myer upgrade works at the Westpoint Blacktown and Castle Hill centres in Sydney.
Stockland General Manager (Development and Design) Stephen Bull said Laing O’Rourke was selected as the preferred design and development contractor following a competitive tender process.
“We're now looking forward to commencing demolition works, which are expected to begin later this month,'' he said.
Stockland's development plans, which include Townsville’s first Myer store, will position the Aitkenvale centre as the largest major shopping centre in the region, increasing its gross lettable area to around 46,000m2.
As well as the Myer store, the new Stockland Townsville will include up to 55 additional speciality stores, a new food court precinct, hundreds of new parking spaces and better customer access, including an improved bus interchange.
Construction is expected to commence in mid-2010.
