Retail giant Westfield has submitted a $500 million plan to expand its Doncaster Shopping Centre complex by more than one third in an effort to remain competitive with neighbouring retailers in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.
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The plans include adding a commercial office tower up to 14 storeys high above a two-level podium.
The tower would soar above the Doncaster hill skyline, taller than the existing tower structure that tops the current complex on the corner of Williamson and Doncaster roads.
Westfield Doncaster, which is 50 per cent owned by Scentre Group, will require changes to the local council planning scheme and the approval of Planning Minister Richard Wynne before it can begin construction.
The proposal includes an additional 43,000 square metres of retail space, another 18,000 square metres of commercial space – mainly in the tower – and a significant increase in multi-storey car parking on the site.
The centre also plans to re-engineer the existing road network and public transport bus interchange.
Unlike other parts of Doncaster's development zone, Westfield's site is exempt from local height controls.
The development will significantly boost the value and size of the shopping complex making it more competitive with neighbouring centres, like Eastland in Ringwood, which are also undergoing major upgrades.
The Doncaster centre's other major owners include superannuation property giant ISPT and the Asia Property Fund.
