The retailer will be the first new business to move into Westpoint after construction started late last year to expand the shopping centre and its car parking facilities. 

The work is being carried out by Hines Constructions, which is using local tradespeople for the project. 

Hines managing director David Hines said the first stage of the project involved the initial extension of the car park, creating the entrance to it and the construction of the new pizza outlet.

As of Tuesday, the structure for the building was up and almost ready for sheeting.

The shopfront glazing and installation of internal services still had to be completed. 

Mr Hines said the outlet should be in operation from the end of April.

“We hand this part over around mid March and that will give them a few weeks to fit out their outlet,” he said. 

By time that outlet opens, the new car park will be ready for the public to use.

It will connect with the existing car park, so people can still park close to other retailers in the complex.

However, the top half of the existing car park will be closed to allow for the construction of a new retail building. 

Parking spaces closest to the existing retailers will be limited to 20 minutes. 

At the same time the Domino’s outlet is completed, retail space will be finished next door for a proposed coffee shop/restaurant with drive-through facilities.

A tenant has yet to be confirmed for this space, however Mr Hines said there has been interest from multiple parties and negotiations were ongoing. 

Mr Hines said construction had moved quickly to ensure there was minimal impact to retailers and their customers. 

“It has had to move quite quickly because the project is quite tight and it’s all about having the least amount of disruption for the shoppers,” he said. “It is a very condensed program.” 

The only trouble construction has run into so far was needing to relocate low and high voltage power mains near the old Wark Parade. 

Although good progress has been made at the site, there is still a lot of work ahead.

Mr Hines said the next four stages of the project will see a new childcare centre built, building new shops for the pharmacy and newsagency, relocating the D’Aquino’s Liquor and expanding the footprint of IGA to approximately 1200 square metres. 

Project manager Dallas Harvey said the challenge will be relocating shops to allow for further construction.

“The D’Aquino’s move allows us then to extend the IGA section,” he said. “So, there is a bit of a process there and it’s managing those processes – the relocations, as well as the traffic,” he said. 

The pharmacy, newsagency and D’Aquino’s are expected to open in their new locations by late August. 

The childcare centre, which will be built above these stores, should be completed in September, however it will need to go through accreditation before operations can commence. 

Mr Harvey said the childcare centre should open in early 2019.