New-look Westfield Miranda is weeks away

SHOPPERS will get their first look at the "new" Westfield Miranda on October 16 when stage one opens.

However, the bigger event will come a few weeks before Christmas with the unveiling of stage two, which is the major part of the $435 million project.

The final stage, a 10-screen cinema complex and six rooftop restaurants, is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.

Another major change will occur by the end of this year when paid parking will be introduced, using new number plate recognition technology, instead of paper tickets. [See separate story].

Despite the opening of the first stage happening two months later than projected earlier this year, Westfield said the project was "on track".

Centre manager Kate Holsgrove said the first stage, on level one [the bottom mall level], extended from what was previously the first floor of Myer into the new building facing the Kingsway.

Ms Holsgrove said it would principally be a new fresh food section, with some fashion and homewares.

"A new Woolworths supermarket will anchor the fresh-food section and around it will be retailers like Fruit Ezy, Jones the Grocer, Costi's Seafood and Christopher's Cake Shop, which is one of Australia's oldest cake shops," she said.

"We will also have Sourdough Bakery, Bannos Brownies and Ragamuffin, which makes steam-baked muffins, and Beyond the Label, a unique wine-tasting concept.

‘‘Lindt [chocolate store] will be returning and Gelato Messina will be opening in stage two.’’

Ms Holsgrove said the fresh-food section was designed to have ‘‘a market feel’’, with a demonstration kitchen and stalls ‘‘removing some of the barriers between the customer and the product’’.

‘‘Stage one will also include a new customer service desk and new car park off the Kingsway,’’ she said.

Ms Holsgrove said stage two, to open in late November or early December, would be in levels two and three of the new building, and the majority would house fashion retailers.

This will include the opening of the new Kingsway entrance.

‘‘The final stage is the cinemas and rooftop restaurants, which we are looking to open by the middle of next year,’’ she said.

‘‘There will be six restaurants next to the cinemas, making 15 in the precinct, and we are calling it a ‘garden in the sky’, because it will have lots of lush landscaping.

‘‘It is designed to be open and outdoor, but with covers, so it is still a nice place to be in wet weather.’’

Ms Holsgrove said shoppers would be glad when the disruption caused by building work was over.

‘‘It is is certainly challenging but we wanted to make sure the whole centre had an upgrade, so [the existing section] was brought up to the same standard.

‘‘Most of the floor surfaces and balustrades around the voids have been replaced and new lighting and seating installed throughout the centre.’’

‘‘It has been designed to have a lot of natural timber and gardens and landscaping to reflect the lifestyle in Sutherland Shire.’’

PAID PARKING

New number-plate recognition technology will be used when paid parking is introduced at Westfield Miranda by the end of the year.

The first three hours of parking will be free and there will be no charge after 6pm. This is more lenient than some other Westfield centres, which allow only two hours free parking and free entry after 7pm.

Motorists will not have to collect a ticket as they enter the centre. Instead, the vehicle number plate will be photographed on entry and exit.

Shoppers will have to make a note of when they arrive.

Before leaving, if they have stayed longer than three hours, they will need to put the details of their number plate into a machine and pay a fee.

Centre manager Kate Holsgrove said Westfield had received very positive feedback after trialing the ‘‘smart system’’ at another centre.

‘‘We are not aware of it being used in any other major shopping centre in Australia,’’ she said. ‘‘We will put in a great deal of support to help shoppers through the process and we will have a trial period.’’

Ms Holsgrove said paid parking would stop people parking all day while they took the train to work.

‘‘This is about freeing up bays for genuine shoppers,’’ she said. ‘‘The majority of our customers stay less than three hours.’’

FUN FOR EVERYONE

Entertainment and children’s play areas will be features of the redeveloped centre.

‘‘There will be a number of spaces where we can have anything from concerts to buskers or DJs,’’ Ms Holsgrove said.

‘‘Miranda has a huge history of great events and entertainment.

‘‘We haven’t done as much in recent years, but we will be going back to that.

‘‘I think people want to go to a shopping centre and have some different entertainment. It’s not just about shopping, it’s about lifestyle and entertainment.

‘‘We are putting in two new kids’ play areas, one of which will have a very large climbing structure for older children.’’

Are you keen for the new-look Westfield to be ready for business?

Source: http://www.theleader.com.au/story/2512048/new-look-westfield-miranda-is-weeks-away

By Murray Trembath