Canberra shopping centres in line for revitalisation WESTFIELD Group is poised to revamp its Canberra shopping centre holdings with redevelopments of its centres at Woden and Belconnen. The ACT government said last week that it and the three owners of Westfield Woden had lodged an application to revitalise the eastern side of Woden town centre. The shopping centre giant will work with the government on plans for the $650 million centre, which is owned by Westfield, its spin-off the Westfield Retail Trust, and GPT's wholesale shopping centre fund. Westfield Woden is one of the largest in Canberra. The 72,300sq m centre includes a David Jones department store, a Big W discount department store, Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, a cinema complex and more than 200 specialty retailers. The proposed improvements will include a new bus station connected with a larger Westfield centre. Works are expected to be completed by mid-2016. At a forum last year, Westfield revealed a plan to buy about 7000sq m of land from the ACT government for the proposed expansion. The move would add about 30,000sq m of retail space to the existing centre and includes a new Myer department store, a new discount department store, supermarket and fresh food stores, fashion stores and general retail. Westfield upgraded its $780m Belconnen mall in 2011 with a major refurbishment and the opening of new stores including a Target. Ownership of the 94,598sq m centre is split between Westfield and its spin-off Westfield Retail Trust. Last November, Westfield won approval for three large residential buildings along Canberra's Emu Bank that rise to 24, 15 and 12 storeys. The towers are to be built next to the Westfield mall as "signature buildings." The approved buildings are among a host of residential towers being built or planned in Belconnen. Westfield has declined to comment on the plans.