Ferny Grove Central Archives

Ferny Grove Central Opening Pushed to Late 2024

The opening of the highly anticipated Ferny Grove Central development has been pushed back over a year from the original expected completion date, with the new timeline looking likely to stretch into late 2024.

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Developer Honeycombes Property Group has confirmed from its contractor Broad Construction that the mixed-use project is now slated for completion in the third quarter of 2024, over a year past the initial August 2023 target.

Construction on the sizable development first kicked off in June 2021, with residents and businesses eagerly awaiting the project’s completion. However, widespread industry challenges have hampered progress.

ferny grove central — Artist’s visualisation of the mixed-use development (Photo credit: Broad Construction)

“A number of factors have come together to create a perfect storm” Honeycombes Property Group stated in a letter sent to the Ferny Grove community, citing labour and material shortages, severe weather events, and pandemic-related supply chain disruptions as the primary obstacles.

“To achieve the above timeframes, we are dependent on the builder maintaining program and we advise these dates are approximate as at April 2023,” the developer added.

Most buyers of the Fernery apartment units, which are part of the mixed-use development, were believed to have rejected refund offers despite their frustrations, as finding alternative housing solutions with builders and materials remains extremely difficult in the region.

Artist’s visualisation of The Fernery (Photo credit: The Fernery/Facebook)

Honeycombes has assured buyers that they are actively voicing concerns about construction delays to Broad Construction, who was engaged to design and construct the project. In the meantime, businesses and residents will have to continue waiting for the project to come to fruition.

About the Ferny Grove Central

With an estimated price tag of $140 million, Ferny Grove Central stands as one of the largest and most eagerly awaited retail, cinema, and residential developments in Brisbane.

The vision for the project is to build a vibrant local village that brings together a full-size Woolworths, childcare facilities, medical offices, restaurants, and more.

The project, located right next to the Ferny Grove train station, will also feature new transportation infrastructure, pedestrian-friendly outdoor plazas, covered parking, and enhanced vehicle and pedestrian routes.

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A highlight is The Fernery, a collection of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments situated amidst landscaped grounds. With its mix of amenities, services, housing, and public spaces, Ferny Grove Central aims to become a thriving hub and community gathering spot for the neighbourhood.

Published 7-August-2023

Full-Service Cinebar to Open at $140-M Ferny Grove Central Development

Photo Credit: Ferny Grove Central

Construction of the $140-million development of Ferny Grove Central is well underway and Cinebar has secured a 15-year lease as its cinema operator.

Set to open in late 2023, Cinebar will occupy a 2,100-sqm space with six screens to cater to over 400 viewers at a time. The site will also have its own bar and restaurant, with a state-of-the-art kitchen and a liquor licence, to provide a gold-class experience for moviegoers.

Cinebar is a rebrand of The Blue Room, which started in 2005 in Rosalie. Following the pandemic, co-owner David Taylor said that they had to elevate their service to compete with streamers and other video-on-demand platforms.

The Ferny Grove Central outlet will be a reflection “of the lessons we’ve learned over the years,” according to Mr Taylor.

“Because it’s greenfield it’s an amazing opportunity to do all the things there that we’ve been slowly incorporating into Rosalie.”

“The unique thing about us is that we are the only cinema in Brisbane which offers total full service — kitchen and waiters.”

Ferny Grove Central is a joint project by the Federal and Queensland governments, alongside Honeycombes Property Group and MaxCap Group. The mixed-use development will be next to the Ferny Grove Railway Station, which caters to 5,000 passengers a day.

The Fernery, a residential hub with 82 luxury apartments, is also going to be constructed on-site, featuring communal amenities, vertical gardens, and an abundance of recreational and outdoor spots.

New $140-M Ferny Grove Retail Centre Development Underway

A $140-million mixed-used development at Ferny Grove train station submitted by the Honeycombes Property Group is finally underway.

Queensland development and investment group Honeycombes has partnered with Melbourne-based real estate financier MaxCap to create a 12,000-sqm mixed-use development adjoining the Ferny Grove Station. This retail centre will be known as Ferny Grove Central.

Honeycombes also plans to introduce The Fernery, an 82-apartment residential building within the area that comes with a recreational deck, as well as pedestrian and cyclist connections between the apartments and the retail centre for ease of access. A multideck commuter cark park will also be implemented to provide the convenience of undercover spaces.

Render of The Fernery apartments.
Photo credit: Facebook/The Fernery

The site was procured by Honeycombes in 2017. According to the company’s managing director Peter Honeycombe, interest from the local market is high and there are plenty of opportunities for Ferny Grove Central in both residential apartments and in retail.

The retail centre’s major tenants are expected to be announced within the coming months. Interested parties can expect to see national retailers including supermarkets, fitness centres, and cinema providers present within the commercial centre.

The project is currently in its final stages of securing a head contractor. Construction is scheduled to begin within the next few months, with plans to start by the end of April or the beginning of May. Development is expected to revitalise the Queensland economy by providing the suburb with 815 new jobs both on- and off-site.

For more details on the project, visit the Ferny Grove Central website. Though finer details have yet to be released, regular updates and progress reports can be expected from their Facebook page.

Developer Changes Plans for Ferny Grove Transit Oriented Development

Photo credit: fernygrovecentral.com.au

Ferny Grove Central station will likely have reduced parking spaces. To nearby residents, the amendments for DA – A005002931 will come as a relief.

Honeycombes Property Group initially proposed to increase the number of commuter car parks at the station to approximately 1,732. There are currently 973 and they were planning to add 759 more commuter parking spaces.

However, Honeycombes changed their plans and dropped the controversial three-level car park in the “finger car park” at the western end of the Ferny Grove rail station site.

The changes were made after Brisbane City Council expressed concerns about some aspects of the plan, especially the finger car park and the residential building.

Locals living near the development expressed their oppositions, believing that the TOD and its associated apartments do not fit in with the character of Ferny Grove, a low density residential area with parks and tree-lined streets.

Although they will have less parking for the Ferny Grove Transit Oriented Development, Honeycombes is still required by the State Government to provide more than 250 additional commuter car parking spaces. This was based on a $9-million agreement approved in 2016 as part of the development.

Honeycombes’ Proposed Design in 2017 (Photo credit: Honeycombes Property Group/Facebook)

Given the opposition from locals, Honeycombes also revised their application for the residential component. They were proposing to construct a 64-unit, residential apartment building arranged in 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom formats. Based on the amendments, they are hoping to add 16 more units, taking the total to 80 units.

Apart from reducing the commuter car parks and increasing their residential apartment buildings, the TOD include the development of the following:

384 retail car parks and 85 residential car parks which include 10 residential visitor spaces;
a major shopping centre tenant of approximately 3,400 sqm;
a mini-major of approximately 1,100 sqm, and 2,619 sqm of speciality retail;
a gymnasium, cinema complex, and child care centre; and
600 sqm of commercial (medical centre)

For updates about Ferny Grove Central, see the Full Development Application – A005002931.