Walker Corporation was founded in 1964 by Lang and Alec Walker, initially as an earthmoving and civil engineering business[2] until 1972 when Lang Walker formed The Walker Group and expanded into property development.[3] Walker Corporation was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 1994.[4] In 1999, Lang Walker sold his shares in Walker Corporation to Australand (now Frasers Property), reserving the right to reuse the Walker Corporation name after January 2003.[5] Lang Walker exercised that right in 2003, renaming McRoss Developments Pty Ltd to Walker Corporation.[6] In 2006, Walker Corporation sold over A$1.1 billion worth of assets to Mirvac, retaining its industrial and some of its commercial and retail interests.[7]
Developments since 2020edit
In 2011 Walker Corporation began development of Collins Square, then the largest commercial mixed-use development in Australia, with construction completed in 2019.[8][9]
In 2014 Walker Corporation was selected by the Government of Queensland and Redland City Council as the preferred partner to redevelop Toondah Harbour,[10] a 67-hectare (170-acre) site[11] which the government had declared a Priority Development Area located in Redland City, Queensland. The project was a source of controversy,[12] with parts of the proposed development area covering a Ramsar site.[13] In August 2016 Walker Corporation used a meeting with Federal Minister for the Environment and EnergyJosh Frydenberg to lobby for boundary changes to reduce the size of the Ramsar site, described by the company as a matter of “urgent national interest.”[14] The company released revised plans in 2018, reducing the proposed land reclamation area by 12 hectares (30 acres) and reducing the impact on neighbouring Cassim Island.[15] In 2022 the company released the project’s Environmental Impact Statement, which was examined by the Government following public consultation.[16]
In 2015 Walker Corporation released plans for its largest international development Senibong Cove,[17] a 16-hectare (40-acre) development located in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. In 2016 the company's plans for a redevelopment of Adelaide's Festival Plaza were approved by the SA Development Assessment Commission,[18] with revised plans including expansions to the retail component approved in late 2020.[19]
As of October 2021[update], the company was developing over A$30 billion worth of projects across Australia and Malaysia.[20]
Notable projectsedit
Collins Square: Australia’s largest commercial mixed-use development that was completed in 2018, occupying a full Melbourne CBD block.[21]
Parramatta Square: A $3.2 billion[22] project on a 3-hectare (7.4-acre) site in Parramatta, New South Wales, consisting of four commercial towers, a retail district, and public spaces.[23]
Riverlea Park: The largest residential development in South Australia’s history, comprising approximately 12,000 homes[24] and expected to take over two decades to complete.[25]
Festival Tower: A $1 billion[27] commercial and retail development and public square in the Adelaide CBD, expected to be completed in late 2023.[28]
Senibong Cove: A jointly-developed Malaysian masterplanned precinct[29] in close proximity to the Johor-Singapore Causeway, containing over 8,000 homes, a 100-berth marina, and a retail precinct[30] built on over 400 hectares (990 acres) of reclaimed land.[31] Senibong Cove received the South East Asia Property Awards’ ‘Best Villa/Housing Development’ award for multiple consecutive years.[32]
Kokomo Private Island: A six-star[33] private resort occupying an entire 57-hectare (140-acre) Fijian island,[34] comprising 21 villas and five residences.[35]
Citiswich Business Park: A $1 billion[36]Ipswichindustrial estate covering 350 hectares (860 acres), the largest in Queensland.[37]
Main Drive Kew: A $400 million residential development on the former Kew Cottages site in the leafy Melbourne suburb of Kew. The project is a joint venture between Walker Corporation and the Victorian Government and has been the subject of several accolades, controversies, allegations, and legal disputes. Construction of stage 1 was completed in 2008 and was followed by several disputes between purchasers, consultants, and developers. The final stage was completed in 2014.[38]
Co-founder's deathedit
Co-founder Lang Walker died aged 78 years on 27 January 2024.[39]
^"Lang Walker Receives Lifetime Achievement Award". The Urban Developer. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
^"Building blocks of an empire". The Australian. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
^"Walker Corp tries to build shares back to issue price". Australian Financial Review. 14 April 1997. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
^"Seeing upside, not down". Australian Financial Review. 26 October 1999. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
^"Lang Walker stakes out his own ground again". Australian Financial Review. 15 May 2003. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
^"Mirvac buys Walker portfolio". Sydney Morning Herald. 30 November 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
^Williams, Bethany (2 November 2011). "Collins Square is the biggest". Dockland News. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^"Woods Bagot-designed final tower completed at landmark $2.5B Collins Square". Architecture & Design. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^"Walker Group to rejuvenate Redland City". The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Media Statements. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^"Walker Corporation selected for Toondah and Weinam PDAs". Redlands2030. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^Moore, Tony (4 May 2022). "Controversial Toondah Harbour project may depend on election outcome". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^Moore, Tony (12 June 2017). "Cleveland's $1.3bn Toondah Harbour project to proceed to EIS stage". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^"Developer lobbied Frydenberg to de-list area of wetland for Queensland's Toondah Harbour complex". The Guardian. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^"Toondah Harbour development plans released". Redland City Bulletin. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^"Developers say $1.4 billion Toondah development safe for environment but conservation group claims it's a 'fantasy'". ABC News. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^Khoo, Lynette (10 March 2015). "Plans for new Iskandar project unveiled". Business Times. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^Cheng, Linda (15 November 2016). "Adelaide's second tallest tower approved". Architecture Australia. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
^Richards, Stephanie (11 November 2020). "Festival Plaza changes set for approval despite Parliament House heritage concerns". InDaily. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
^Wilmot, Ben (28 October 2021). "Lang Walker boasts $30bn workbook across Australia, Malaysia". The Australian. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
^"Collins Square is the biggest". Docklands News. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
^"Suburban offices swell as tenants rethink city towers". Sydney Morning Herald. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
^"Winding water course at heart of proposed Parramatta Square public space". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
^"Adelaide's largest masterplanned community becomes a suburb". Australian Property Journal. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^"Walker Plots First Retail Centre at $3bn Estate". The Urban Developer. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^Tabet, Ted (20 October 2022). "Field of Dreams: Walker Readies Australia's Next CBD". The Urban Developer. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
^"SRG wins $20m Adelaide contract". Business News. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
^Frangos, Daniela (29 November 2021). "Plans to Revamp Festival Plaza Have Been Unveiled". Broadsheet. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
^Prof. Ir. Dr. Mohd. Fadhil Bin Md. Din. "Senibong Cove, River Treatment". Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^"Why Senibong Cove Is So Popular". Private Car Services Singapore - Malaysia. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^"Malaysia: Johor unveils new plans for waterfront". Wild Singapore News. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^"Senibong Cove Continues Winning Streak At Awards Ceremony". Star Property. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^Smyth, Jamie (27 November 2015). "Fiji's political stability spurs buyers to seek piece of paradise". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^Carruthers, Fiona (30 March 2017). "Lang Walker, Rich List property king, unveils his Kokomo Fiji resort". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^Ashton, Chris (1 September 2022). "Island time awaits: 10 of the best South Pacific resorts - Executive Traveller". Executive Traveller. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^Yun, Jessica (18 October 2019). "5 Brisbane property hotspots home buyers should know about". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
^McIvor, Lachlan (14 October 2021). "Huge new truck depot planned for thriving business park". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023.
^"Trouble in Kew". The Age. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
^Ibrahim, Tony (28 January 2024). "Billionaire property developer and businessman Lang Walker dies". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 January 2024.