Queensgate Shopping Centre, New Zealand facts for kids
The centre from the Queens Drive/Bunny Street intersection, December 2016.
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| Location | Lower Hutt, New Zealand |
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| Coordinates | 41°12′37″S 174°54′24″E / 41.210228°S 174.906775°E |
| Opening date | 1986; 38 years ago |
| Owner | Stride Property (current) |
| No. of stores and services | 134 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 45,467 m2 (489,400 sq ft) |
Queensgate Shopping Centre (formerly Westfield Queensgate) is a medium sized shopping centre in central Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. The centre first opened in 1986, and underwent a large scale redevelopment that was completed in August 2006. The centre features over 130 speciality stores.
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History and development
The area was formerly a residential area. The houses were demolished in the mid-60s to mid-70s to make way for a transport centre. The centre opened in 1986. The centre refurbished in 1991 and was expanded. It was purchased by Westfield in 1999. Between 2004 and 2006 the mall had a big expansion doubling the size of the centre with a bigger carpark, more shops and a new Event Cinemas multiplex. The Countdown supermarket that is overtaken by the carpark now has now moved south-east of the mall. The centre has a catchment area of 375,030+ people. The centre has a footfall of over 8 million people per annum. The centre's floor space is 45,467 m² (489,406 ft²) and the centre has an annual turnover of NZ$202.5 million.
Thirteen structurally separate buildings make up the centre. Following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, the entire shopping centre closed for urgent safety inspections, partially reopening eleven days later. One building in the northeast corner of the mall, containing the cinema multiplex and part of the carpark, was deemed structurally unsafe and is scheduled to be demolished.
Transport
The centre is located on the corner of Queens Drive and Bunny Street in the centre of Lower Hutt. It is also the location of a major bus interchange (known as Lower Hutt Queensgate) with buses going to Upper Hutt, Waterloo Interchange, Petone and Wellington City. The centre is also a short walking distance from Melling railway station. The centre has over 1,855 car park spaces.
Culture
The centre is known for the youths often seen frequenting the southern bus stop. A method used in deterring them is the use of classical music played through loudspeakers.
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