Tipalea Partners’ flagship neighbourhood retail centre, Glebe Hill Village, has officially reached completion, delivering the first new neighbourhood shopping centre in metropolitan Hobart in over a decade.
The shopping centre was opened on Saturday 6 August with a day of on-site celebrations, commencing with an official opening ceremony attended by local councillors and community groups with a ribbon cutting by Alderman Doug Chipman, Mayor of City of Clarence.
A Family Fun Day followed the opening ceremony featuring entertainment and activities, with thousands of dollars’ worth of prize giveaways, workshops and performances by local schools and community groups, including Bayview Secondary College and Neighbourhood Watch.
Prominently located at the intersection of the South Arm Highway and Pass Road in Howrah, Glebe Hill Village was constructed by leading Tasmanian contractors Fairbrother over a 15-month period.
“We are thrilled to achieve completion and open Glebe Hill Village – delivering vital new retail infrastructure to Howrah. It has raised the bar for neighbourhood shopping in Hobart, bringing high-quality retail combined with variety and convenience to the surrounding community, and it’s been wonderful to see the immense support from local residents,” said Scott Spanton, CEO of Tipalea Partners.
“The project also delivered a significant boost to local employment at a critical time, generating more than 1,000 jobs throughout COVID-19 and into the recovery phase – including more than 550 from construction, 150 from the development team and another 400+ ongoing jobs from retailers” he said.
Clarence City Council Mayor, Alderman Doug Chipman, said the long-awaited Glebe Hill Shopping Centre was a significant asset for the local community and the city as a whole.
“Not only will this new village provide a vital boost to the local economy, providing job and business opportunities, it will also allow the greater community – from Clarence Plains to Opossum Bay – to enjoy more convenient access to daily necessities, without a lengthy detour, and will build on the fabulous sense of community that is already so palpable at Glebe Hill,” Alderman Chipman said.
“This development will help ensure we have more infrastructure and services in place to meet the needs of this booming area.”
The 5,900 m2 Glebe Hill Village shopping centre delivers a new standard of convenience retail and consists of a full-line Coles supermarket and 18 specialty shops in an air-conditioned mall with 260 car spaces in an expansive, completely on-grade car park.
Glebe Hill Village has already been hailed the most-connected and sustainable retail centre in Tasmania with a suite of innovative Smart-Tech features including a full solar array, EV charging stations, smart bathrooms, air quality monitors, weather station, free wi-fi, wireless charging stations, a dedicated smart building app, cloud based CCTV throughout, car counters, people counters, duress intercoms and a building information dashboard.
“We are proud to pioneer retail centre apps in Tasmania and elevate the level of customer service and convenience on offer at Glebe Hill Village. The app allows users to pre-order food and book appointments for services in the centre as well as view key data in real-time, such as how busy the centre is along with environmental performance information,” said Scott Spanton, CEO of Tipalea Partners.
With a strong focus on public art, Glebe Hill Village also incorporates the works of several Tasmanian artists beneath the carpark canopies and within the centre itself. Local artists Allan Mansel, Tricky Walsh and Tom O’Hern, along with Sydney-based Lara Merrett, were commissioned to transform the retail centre into an engaging and creative space, displaying colourful stories of placemaking and environment.
