A recent research report by independent economic and property researchers Urbis underscores CBD Robina (and the whole Robina Varsity Lakes precinct) as the City’s most sought after business district. The report, prepared in April 2016, extrapolates office vacancy data from the Property Council of Australia’s Office Market Report, and drills down to the CBDRobina business precinct level.

The report reviews the current office market within CBDRobina and benchmarks it against the city, as well as the Gold Coast City office market sub-locales which include Broadbeach, Bundall, Southport, Surfers Paradise and Robina Varsity Lakes.

Research key findings

The key findings of the research include:

  • The CBDRobina office market headline vacancy rate of 5.6% is significantly lower than the total Gold Coast City market at 13.6%, and below all Australian Capital City CBD markets (National CBD average 10.9% as at January 2016).
  • With 127,668 sq.m of occupied floor space as at January 2016, Robina-Varsity Lakes has the highest volume of total occupied office space of any Gold Coast City sub-locale, with Southport having the second highest volume of occupied office space.
  • The best performing precinct (in terms of take-up of office space) was Robina-Varsity Lakes with the sub-locale having the highest net absorption levels in Gold Coast City over the 5 years to January 2016. Over the past 12 months alone, this precinct recorded net absorption of 6,003 sq.m of office space, greater than all other Gold Coast sub-locales combined.

Why is the Robina Office Market so attractive?

The report states that CBDRobina has become an increasingly attractive destination to invest, develop and occupy commercial office space for a number of reasons, including:

  • The redevelopment of the Robina Town Centre and the existing road and rail infrastructure has enabled Robina to become a truly regional destination.
  • Continued establishment of Robina as a core Queensland and Gold Coast medical precinct. Recent developments include the expansion of the Robina Hospital and Health Precinct with a new private hospital under construction opposite the existing public hospital.
  • The attraction of this precinct has been highlighted by the quality of businesses based within the area including the Queensland Government, GHD Global, Slater & Gordon, Shine Lawyers, Trilby Misso, Bond University, Guvera, Foxtel, WMS and Horizon Housing.
  • Robina Town Centre is an established and expanding Super Regional Shopping and Entertainment Centre at the heart of CBDRobina. It provides a dining, shopping and entertainment hub for local residents and employees, as well as attracting significant daytripper numbers from the wider region.
  • CBDRobina is located in close proximity to the M1 Motorway and has access to approximately 96% of Gold Coast City’s population within a 30 minute drive.
  • The CBDRobina office market, combined with the retail and transport facilities has increased the corporate profile of the area. Other significant attractors and drivers for the CBDRobina office market include two train stations, the thriving Robina Medical Precinct and CBUS Super Stadium, together with an established yet growing residential catchment.
  • Strong employment fundamentals underpin future attraction with NIEIR Employment Forecasts forecasting that Robina Employment growth from 2011 to 2031 will increase 73.6%. This is headlined by growth in Business Services and Health and Community based employees, with growth of 78.7% and 96.9%respectively.
  • CBDRobina is the heart of the city-leading Robina / Varsity Lakes sub-locale, projected to become the dominant Gold Coast office precinct – supported by a six-fold increase in jobs in the Finance and Professional Services sector by 2050. Robina / Varsity Lakes is also predicted to be the highest contributor to the economic growth of Gold Coast City, at 24.6% of Gross Regional Product growth to 2050.

Read more about the commercial heart of Gold Coast City here.

To enquire about commercial properties for lease or development sites for sale in Robina, contact Marcus Weld.

For five tips on leasing business space read more here.