WORK has begun converting the former Quiksilver headquarters into Surf Coast Social.<\/p>\n
In mid-2018, Quiksilver\u2019s parent company Boardriders moved their headquarters from the site on 27 Baines Crescent to Queensland, despite still maintaining a presence in Torquay.<\/p>\n
In 2019 a Melbourne-based consortium IP Generation then purchased the site for a reported $15 million. They are now renovating the building to include a brewery, a caf\u00e9, and a serviced office space, having already upgraded the office space for Boardriders employees who still work at the site.<\/p>\n
The total expenditure on the project will be about $12 million.<\/p>\n
Sou\u2019West Brewery and Workspace365 have also confirmed tenancies at the site.<\/p>\n
IP Generation director Chris Lock said the remaining space could be used for a variety\u00a0of purposes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s only one other tenancy that\u2019s available, which is the back of the property. There\u2019s 600 square metres that\u2019s left, which is about 10 per cent of the total property. That\u2019s actively on the market for leasing at the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty flexible the floor plate that\u2019s there and could suit an office tenancy, or medical, or wellness style operators. We\u2019ve had enquiries from day spas as well as pilates and yoga operators and gym operators, so there could be various uses in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The eastern wall of the building is being renovated to extend a further 11 metres, creating extra room for the brewery to operate in.<\/p>\n
At full capacity, the brewery could have up to\u00a0600 people.<\/p>\n
A structure will also be built in front of the existing building that Sou\u2019West Brewery will operate as\u00a0a caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n
The new office spaces are expected to be ready by November, having been pushed back a few months from their original opening date due to the coronavirus pandemic. About 80 per cent of the workspace tenancy will be private secure offices.<\/p>\n
Mr Lock said the coronavirus had not seemed to dampen peoples\u2019 interest in the new office spaces.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re (Workspace365) already seeking memberships and pre-commitments. They\u2019ve got quite a few signed up for the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be by far the best office accommodation on the Surf Coast and I think it will continue to be in demand. I even think, bizarrely, we\u2019ve had an increased level of enquiry through this period for that office, and I feel like that might be for people who were previously commuting into the CBD or Geelong and realised that they can actually work remotely, and might be thinking they will permanently establish themselves on the Surf Coast.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brewery may also open this year, with Mr Lock saying it would otherwise aim to open \u201ccertainly before Easter next year\u201d.<\/p>\n
The original plans for Surf Coast Social also included a five-screen cinema, with the site already featuring an auditorium that could have been converted with relative ease.<\/p>\n
However, IP Generation dropped the cinema from the plans in January this year after reaching an impasse with the Surf Coast Shire council over its inclusion in the planning application.<\/p>\n
Mr Lock said this was because of the area\u2019s zoning, which he hoped may eventually change.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe council\u2019s stance is they won\u2019t support it, so it\u2019s been removed entirely from our plans, unfortunately.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not supported under the current planning. It\u2019s an Industrial 3 Zone, which we felt was open for interpretation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hopeful that in the future they will revisit that zoning and look to move it to more of a commercial zone, which would allow for increased entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WORK has begun converting the former Quiksilver headquarters into Surf Coast Social. In mid-2018, Quiksilver\u2019s parent company Boardriders moved their headquarters from the site on 27 Baines Crescent to Queensland, despite still maintaining a presence in Torquay. In 2019 a Melbourne-based consortium IP Generation then purchased the site for a reported $15 million. They are […]<\/p>\n