Cloud over CBD as landmark tower scrapped, Games plan unclear

Olympic heavyweight John Coates’ refusal to back the entertainment centre proposed for Roma Street, the same day a developer quietly scrapped plans for a landmark building nearby, has put a cloud over Brisbane’s northern CBD.

After months of speculation, and amid an ongoing review, Coates was on Thursday reported saying it was time to abandon the divisive plan to rebuild the Gabba as an Olympic stadium and instead use existing venues.

Development plans for 200 Turbot Street, and the heritage-listed dental hospital, have been abandoned. Credit: Sean Parnell

Coates was also reluctant to support the Brisbane Arena being built at Roma Street and to be used temporarily for Olympic swimming.

Pointedly, he said the only Games-related investment in the project – a privately led proposal that predated Brisbane being announced the 2032 host – should be for a drop-in pool and back-of-house requirements.

Brisbane Arena was already in doubt due to the technical and logistical challenges involved with building over the city train lines. The review, by former LNP lord mayor Graham Quirk, has been looking at alternative sites and other solutions, which may see the Games swimming venue separated from any entertainment centre proposal.

Also on Thursday, developer Mirvac quietly abandoned its plan to build a 37-storey tower at 200 Turbot Street, which the government had wanted to become a cornerstone of the revitalisation of the northern CBD. It would have been the closest development to Brisbane Arena and triggered other private sector investment.

An artist’s impression of the plan for 200 Turbot Street in Brisbane before developer Mirvac pulled out.Credit: Blight Rayner

“We had an option over 200 Turbot Street but decided not to pursue a commercial development given the current market conditions,” a Mirvac spokeswoman said.

In late 2020, the government gave Mirvac a three-year option to develop the site, around the heritage-listed dental school and heritage sites on Wickham Terrace. It has yet to say whether it will start the process again, but recent events leave a vast area of the CBD without a clear future.

The Cross River Rail project required the demolition of the old transit centre buildings on Roma Street and the government has yet to decide what will replace them. Market conditions and Games requirements could still see a Brisbane Arena built nearby, although it appears likely the funding arrangements would have to change.

Under the Olympic cost-sharing agreement between the state and federal governments, Queensland was to cover the cost of rebuilding the Gabba – the work would have extended into surrounding areas and cost at least $2.7 billion – while the Commonwealth promised Brisbane Arena funding capped at $2.5 billion.

At Roma Street, the priority development area controlled by the state government also encompasses the police headquarters and associated buildings, as well as the north-west end of the parkland which the former Beattie government once set aside for a Smithsonian-style building.

The PDA remains an unfinished document and a blank slate for development. Griffith University at one point wanted to build a vertical campus on site but has since turned its attention to the Treasury casino buildings set to be vacated for Star’s move to Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.

The 200 Turbot Street site is immediately outside the PDA, as is the Victoria Barracks which also has an uncertain fate after the Department of Defence announced it would consider offloading the site. The government has long wanted to use the Petrie Terrace site to improve active transport links between Roma Street and Suncorp Stadium.

Coates suggested the 2032 opening ceremony could be held at nearby Suncorp Stadium – and acknowledged that rugby league bosses might want the state-owned venue upgraded by then.

The Quirk review will report back on March 18. Its terms of reference make clear that any recommended changes must have the support of the Commonwealth and sporting stakeholders before being implemented.

The Queensland Investment Corporation owns the development rights to the land above the new Cross River Rail stations. A spokesman said it was awaiting the outcome of the Quirk review to decide what to do at Roma Street and Woolloongabba.

The QIC will build a commercial tower above the Albert Street station, with construction to commence by mid-2025, and will next come up with a plan for Boggo Road.