Australia's fashion capital, Chadstone Shopping Centre, is set to upgrade one of its most popular car parks, to add a further 850 parking spaces.
Works on the development are set to begin in February 2021, with the first stage adding two new levels of parking, including more than 400 solar shaded parking spaces, on top of the existing David Jones car park.
Speaking on the project, Vicinity Centres chief development officer Carolyn Viney said that the business took feedback from its local community.
"We’ve listened to our customers and the local community who have told us they want more parking at Chadstone and we’re pleased the additional 850 spaces will provide customers with more than 11,000 free parking spaces.
"Once completed, in spring 2021, customers will also enjoy undercover, solar shaded parking on the rooftop, with a 1.6MW solar system generating enough energy to power more than 340 average Australian homes each year, helping us to power the centre and reduce our energy consumption," she said.
Vicinity has invested $73 million in solar across Australia and Chadstone will become the 21st centre in Vicinity’s portfolio to install a renewable energy system, as part of a business commitment to long-term sustainability.
"We’re also improving access with wider ramps, new directional signage to create a better flow of traffic and an upgraded parking guidance system, directing customers to the most convenient parking available," Viney added.
Work will begin in February, with an initial reduction of 1,200 car spaces during construction, with those spaces returned by August 2021, followed by 850 new spaces in spring 2021.
Assisting in Victoria’s recovery from the pandemic, the first stage of the car park project is expected to generate close to 300 full time equivalent jobs for Victorians during construction.
A priority for Chadstone's $685 million evolution, Vicinity will undertake further parking projects in the future, to bring the total of new car spaces to more than 1,400.