Business opportunities

Retail Leasing 

A formal expression of interest process for the leasing of retail space in Civic Place will commence in the near future. If you are interested in leasing retail/restaurant space within Civic Place you can email your contact details to civicplace@willoughby.nsw.gov.au.

The Chatswood CBD is renowned as a retail tourism destination and home to local, national and global companies. It is the largest single retail centre outside of the Sydney CBD and one of the major retail destinations in Australia with 20 million annual shopper visits. Chatswood with 305,000 square metres of office space is the fourth largest commercial centre in Sydney and is located in the silicon corridor between North Sydney and Ryde.

In developing the Civic Place Project, Willoughby Civic Council has undertaken extensive research with the local and regional business community to establish their needs. Through networks such as the Chatswood Chamber of Commerce, community surveys, and community forums focusing on business, the feedback from businesses was that there was a need for a revitalisation of the CBD and specifically the Civic Place site in order for Chatswood to become a vibrant city centre in the 21st century.

The business community supports Willoughby City Council’s plans to create an environment that encourages sustainable returns from the businesses operating in the area. Businesses are not only looking for increases in the numbers utilising the services, but are seeking an increase in the customer base and money spent on services. To achieve this, Council is providing improvements to streetscapes and encouraging professional business support through policies and procedures which give business certainty in their operations and future investment in the area.  Civic Place is an important step towards delivering this vision to this stakeholder group.

The integrated design of the iconic building, open space, retail, café and streetscape will generate a strong visual impact that will capture the interest of people and offer a place for escape from busy Victoria Avenue.  This ensures that opportunities to establish a new level of pedestrian amenity that will draw customers into the Civic Place site and surrounds, creating an attractive busy cultural and leisure centre for Chatswood.


The projected Civic Place Economic Benefits (estimates):

Facility Industry Sqm/Other

Economic Benefit

Civic Place Cafes, restaurants, ATMs, bookshops, IT concept store Retail 4000sqm

$25,833,000
Civic Place Library and Cultural Facilities Culture, Arts & Entertainment

$6,000,000
Civic Place Car Park Car Parking

$900,000
Archer St Precinct Retail & Commercial Space Retail 4500 sqm

$18,500,000
Serviced Apartments - Overnight visitors Tourism/Hospitality 120 rooms

$7,474,496
Serviced Apartments - Retail spend Tourism/Hospitality 120 rooms

$2,000,000
Flow on effect of business surrounding Civic Place

$5,000,000
TOTAL

$65,707,496

Total employment All industries = 482 EFT per year

Sources:
Wilmot Murchie Retail Report
Willoughby City Council (WCC) Cultural Facilities Business Plan
WCC Economic Development paper