First look at Newport Marketplace

Newport Marketplace is taking shape, with exterior construction complete and tenants beginning their fit-outs.

The centre at Lakeview Promenade, Newport, will offer locals and visitors three precincts – medical, lifestyle, and food and beverage.

The stunning design provides access from all four sides and has a stylish, yet relaxed vibe with big curves, massive round skylights, white façade and wide walkway along the canal front.

The centre overlooks Jabiru Canal and will soon have a small marina, allowing boaties to stop for supplies, a bite to eat, a visit to the doctor or a haircut.

Moreton Daily was given a guided tour by leasing agent and spokesman Tony Mayfield this week. He’s thrilled with how Newport Marketplace is taking shape and he expects the centre to open early November.

“It’s beautiful. We think it’s going to be quite iconic for the area and we think it should be able to draw a lot of those weekend tourists. It’s not just Redcliffe, I think it gives the Moreton Bay Region a bit of a waterfront dining precinct. We do have it on the Redcliffe waterfront but not many within Moreton Bay,” Tony says.

“In food and beverage precinct, we’ve got a patisserie café, sushi, Italian, and seafood restaurant. That leaves one remaining food and beverage opportunity, which we’re dealing with someone now. It’s not done yet, so I can’t say who.

“In the medical precinct, we have a pharmacy, a dentist, a General Practice Medical Centre, Nick Schuster physiotherapy is coming here, and Penguin Podiatry.

“In the lifestyle precinct, we’ve got a beauty salon, a nail salon, a hair salon and a UBX boxercise gym, and we’ve got a real estate agency as well.”

The anchor tenant is an IGA Supermarket, which has been fitted out and is ready for stock to come in.

It too has an upmarket vibe and will have fresh seafood, continental deli, and a café at the front.

“The standard will be something that’s not being delivered on the peninsula and on top of that they’ll be doing price-matching,” Tony says.

What will be happening in the next month?

“It will be very busy with a lot of tradies onsite, a lot of fit-outs and a lot of equipment being delivered. It will be a very busy site for the next month,” Tony says.

“The tenancies have been handed over to the tenants now to do their fit-outs.”

The opening is a few months later than expected due largely to wet weather but also supply chain disruptions.

“Yes, that’s been the case but I think that’s across the board – all through the country – people are suffering that. What we’ve done is we’ve given tenants extra time to do fit-outs as well, longer than we normally would, just so if they had those issues they could overcome them,” Tony explains.

Construction of stage two is expected to start soon after stage one is finished. It will include a sports club and should be completed within about 18 months.

The exact date of stage one’s opening is not yet clear, but Tony says he hopes it will be early November. The plan is to open when most, if not all, operators are up and running.

“As we firm up dates, we’ll probably do some social media announcements. As the fit-outs start progressing, we’ll be able to see where everyone’s at,” he explains.

He says the tenants are probably experiencing a mix of excitement and stress and the final work begins and they look to secure staff.

When is the marina going in?

Tony says the small marina has been approved by council with some finer tinkering happening at present before work starts on installing it.

He is not sure when it will go in but is hoping it will be ahead of the opening.

A grand opening is being planned, but Tony says they will likely have a soft opening before Christmas before a grand opening in the new year.

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