Dexus's proposed $2 billion Brisbane Waterfront development on the old Eagle Street Pier would sit cheek by jowl to Riparian Plaza, one of Brisbane's most prestigious and sought-after addresses. So, as you'd expect, Dexus's development application has kicked off a coterie of well-heeled objections, as catalogued by submissions to the Brisbane City Council.

Lodging "some concerns", mostly of the architectural variety, is Collection House co-founder John Pearce, who along with wife Sanda paid $7.37 million for Riparian's penthouse in 2005. The Harry Seidler-designed Plaza is, he notes, an iconic development, like the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, that even features in the Australian version of Monopoly. But Dexus's proposal, while having potential, as proposed currently "threatens to overshadow this iconic cityscape". To the alleged benefit of its developer but the detriment of Brisbane as a whole, Pearce concludes.