Revealed: Plans for ‘haunted’ derelict mall in Sydney’s south

Caringbah Marketplace is to be listed for sale. Picture: Facebook

A graffiti covered shopping mall in Sydney’s south with a ghostly interior of boarded up shops and hallways filled with debris could be getting a new lease of life after sitting empty for decades.

The mall in the Sutherland Shire known as Caringbah Marketplace was formally put up for sale on Wednesday in a move that’s followed long running local whispers about a potential listing in the works.

Supermarket group Aldi has owned the derelict site on Kingsway since 2014 and had numerous plans to develop it knocked back by local council, including a proposal for a residential tower and supermarket.

It’s understood the mall, already rundown by 2014, fell further into disrepair in the years that followed.

The inside of Caringbah Marketplace pictured around 2020. Picture: Facebook

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The listing this week comes almost two years after council rejected Aldi’s most recent $14 million plan to develop the site into a new supermarket – largely over alleged council concerns about parking access.

The mall had previously been home to a Franklins outlet, along with other shops, until 2011. Aldi purchased the site from billionaire Paul Lederer, the former owner of food group Primo, for $5.5 million.

Many of the signs for the old stores remain posted on the exterior of the building and hark back to an era when video stores and film photo processing outlets were more commonplace.

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The mall on Kingsway last traded in 2014. Picture: JLL

Numerous proposals have been made to develop the site, but local council knocked them back. Pictures: Facebook

There had been speculation earlier this year that the site could be turned into a ghost themed amusement park, with developers leaning into the mall’s spooky reputation among locals.

A local explorer told the Sutherland Shire Gazette that the property would have been perfect for this kind of use due to the “haunted vibe”, reporting that the car park “smells like an ancient crypt”.

Residents in the area appear to have strong opinions about the site and its decay over the years.

“It’s a filthy looking building,” one social media user said, commenting on a Facebook post about the mall.

The mall is located in a commercial strip on Kingsway, en route to Cronulla.

There was also a feeling of disappointment at the local council. “An absolute embarrassment, council should be ashamed they have been unable to manage this situation,” a social media user said.

Caringbah Marketplace is being marketed by JLL agents Sebastian Fahey, David Mahood and Dylan McEvoy. No indications of price have been released yet.

Aldi will aim to sell the property to a developer with a lease agreement in place. This would establish the supermarket chain as the anchor tenant once a new supermarket is developed on site.

The site was formally listed for sale Wednesday. Picture: JLL

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Mr Fahey explained in an email to the Daily Telegraph that the agents expected to get interest from a “diverse range” of buyers, including “international, interstate and local developers”.

He said he expected these investors to be “drawn to the site’s potential Aldi income stream, in addition to substantial mixed-used potential across resident and student accommodation”.