Shop hub now a 'horse paddock'

IT SHOULD have been a bustling hub of activity with restaurants, cinema and shops, but the vacant land on Walla St is now nothing more than a “horse paddock”.

More than four years after Bundaberg City Council gave approval to the city's third shopping centre, the 3.2ha piece of land will go under the hammer after a lengthy court appeal contributed to developer Insight Group going into administration last year.

Wide Bay Real Estate's Grae Shelton said the auction signs went up on Friday, with the sale of the property having been announced in November.

Originally the property was being marketed with the development approval for the shopping centre, subject to its ongoing appeal, but Mr Shelton said the site was no longer suitable for commercial use and was nothing more than a horse paddock close to town.

“(The site) was very heavily flooded, it is not suitable for a shopping centre development,” he said.

“They had the approval but there was a realisation it was never going to happen.”

Mr Shelton said since the flooding, he believed the State Government had increased the floor level height requirement that would now make any building on the site unviable.

As the land is zoned non urban, it is also unsuitable for housing. Mr Shelton said as the sale was ordered by the developer's receivers, McGrath Nicol, there was a bargain up for grabs.

Bundaberg Mayor Lorraine Pyefinch said last year the shopping centre was the most optimal use of the site, due to it being prone to flooding and that she hoped new owners of the property would work towards the original proposal approved by the council.

Under the original plan, car parking was to be built within the flood level with the shopping complex built up on the high part of the block.

Bundaberg Regional Council planning and development spokesman, councillor Ross Sommerfeld said State Government might make a decision on raising flood levels on residential properties, but he didn't believe it would impact on commercial land.

“Commercial and industrial land can be lower than residential land because they can build things like car parks there,” Mr Sommerfeld said.

He said the only flow-on effect for commercial properties after the flood would be a change to make electrical work above the flood levels, a condition that was never stipulated previously.

He also said as far as council was concerned, the land was still suitable for commercial development, however interested buyers would need to do their due diligence with council and state government regional plans still being worked on.

Competitor appeals were also something to be mindful of, he said, which was the main reason the council-approved shopping centre was never built.

“The competitors appeal sent the developers into receivership, and that is a concern to the Local Government Association of Queensland, that big business duopolies can lengthen the process out,” Mr Sommerfeld said.

He said members of the LGAQ had indicated that while competitors should be allowed to make submissions, they should not be allowed to drag it out with lengthy court appeals.

The 3.23ha infill site has street frontages on Walla, Park and Tantitha streets and will be auctioned at 10am on Thursday, August 11.