An outdoor dining precinct and two new gold-class cinemas will give shoppers their first taste of the new-look Werribee Plaza.
The first stage of the centre’s mammoth makeover is nearing completion, and Star Weekly got a sneak peek behind the scenes last week.
Picture gallery: Werribee Plaza makeover works
Village Cinemas has undergone a complete refurbishment, with its 10 revamped cinemas and two new gold-class cinemas to be officially launched on June 3.
A new outdoor dining area, Urban Diner, will open in late June with 15 restaurants – La Porchetta, Sporting Globe, Makan Place, Feeling Fruity, San Churro, Groove Train, Pancake Parlour, Guzman Y Gomez, Grill’d, Dumpling Story, Schnitz, Ba’get, Rice Workshop, Spud Bar and Nandos.
Centre manager Jonathan Codman said Sporting Globe, which will be the biggest sports bar and restaurant in Australia, would be the centrepiece of the Urban Dining precinct, boasting a seven-metre TV screen and outdoor balcony.
The Urban Diner launch will coincide with the rebranding of the centre from Werribee Plaza to Pacific Werribee.
The redevelopment also includes the relocated library and bingo centre and tavern.
Mr Codman said shoppers were already excited about the Urban Diner launch, with many trying to make advance bookings for the Pancake Parlour.
“There’s 220,000 people living in a 10-kilometre radius and we just want to offer more dining choices.”
The next stage, including a Target branch, 50 specialty stores and 1500 carparking spaces, is expected to be completed later this year.
A fashion precinct with a two-level Myer store, nearly triple the size of the existing one, a fresh food precinct and an Aldi supermarket will complete the makeover by mid-2016.
Upon completion, the new-look Werribee Plaza will have 350 retailers and 5000 carparking spaces.
Mr Codman said some existing retailers would undergo shop refits as part of the expansion.
