Overview
Brisbane's northside is about to look a whole lot different, and sport a Toombul Shopping Centre-sized gap on Sandgate Road. After the precinct was inundated with water during Brisbane's 2022 floods, and then developer Mirvac announced that it wouldn't be reopening the centre as it previously stood, Brisbane City Council has approved the application to tear down the northside complex.
"We are pleased to share with you that Brisbane City Council has approved our application to demolish structures at the flood damaged Toombul centre," said Mirvac via its Toombul Renewal website and Facebook page.
"This is an important step forward for the regeneration of the site. With demolition planning progressing, we are continuing to consider future uses at the site. We recognise the importance of convenient shopping to the local community and have already committed to including retail within any future plans."
The move comes after the shopping centre has sat empty, with fences surrounding the perimeter, since February and March last year. In May 2022, Mirvac advised that it wouldn't be restoring the site to its state prior to that catastrophic bout of wet weather, with future plans still being finalised — with the latter remaining true now.
It's been less than four years since Toombul Shopping Centre underwent a huge change, opening a new upstairs dining and entertainment precinct filled with neon and fountains, as well as circus-themed arcade bar Archie Bros Cirque Electriq. That revamp has clearly proven short-lived.
Perched between DFO at the airport and Chermside, Toombul gave northsiders a shopping option that wasn't as huge and sprawling as the former, or as focused on discount and outlet wares as the later. And, it boasted its own cinema, too.
The centre also attracted Brisbanites from all over town when it became the site of Brisbane's — and Australia's — first-ever Cinnabon back in 2019.
Toombul's history dates back to 1967. It was originally the largest shopping centre in the city's north before Chermside started its series of expansions over the past few decades.
Exactly when the complex will be torn down hasn't yet been announced, but Mirvac expects the process to take around 12 months. The Toombul bus interchange and park 'n' ride will remain open and operating during the demolition works.
Toombul Shopping Centre is located at 1015 Sandgate Road, Toombul. For further information about the site's future, head to the Toombul Renewal website and Facebook page.