Coronation Drive site set for huge transformation

In what would be one of the most significant projects in Brisbane’s inner-west in years, plans for four 30-plus-storey buildings towering over a new parkland on Coronation Drive have been submitted for approval.

Developers have sought preliminary approval to rezone Kings Row at Milton from an office to a mixed-use precinct, allowing for residential, retail, restaurants and other uses.

The proposal includes parkland facing Coronation Drive and the Brisbane River.Credit: Urbis

It would include four towers, of 30, 35 and two of 37 storeys, spread across the 14,780-square-metre property.

Nestled among the buildings would be the heritage-listed Milton House, with a park that would restore its views to the Brisbane River. While privately owned, the “village green” would be accessible to the public.

Shayher Alliance submitted its master plan and rezoning request to Brisbane City Council this week. If approved, a more detailed proposal – including the number of units – could be submitted.

A spokesperson for the project said council approval would provide a “framework for future development applications”.

Shayher bought the Bulimba Barracks site in 2019 and was behind the $1 billion refurbishment of Melbourne’s Pentridge prison into a retail, residential and tourism hub.

Its plans for Kings Row appeared similarly ambitious.

The initial plans for the towers included units, serviced apartments, short-term accommodation, retirement living and office tenancies.

As the proposal does not adhere to the local planning rules – the site is currently zoned within the Milton Neighbourhood Plan’s office precinct – it is considered “impact assessable” and open to public submissions.

In its assessment report submitted to the council, town planning firm Urbis said the passage of time had rendered the neighbourhood plan obsolete since its adoption in 2011.

Kings Row is currently an office precinct.Credit: Google Street View

“The demand for inner-city office space has declined since the release of the neighbourhood plan, and a housing crisis has emerged as a critical issue for local planning to address,” Urbis said.

“The out-of-date nature of the neighbourhood plan is reinforced by the existing approval in effect over the site, which allows for buildings up to 20 storeys.

“As a result, the intentions for the site identified by the neighbourhood plan are no longer considered relevant.

“The site will provide for the potential to locate office within the towers. [However,] it is intended to also permit residential development, allowing the development to respond to the market at such time that the development is progressed.”

Urbis said the design was the “outcome of a collaborative design process involving the applicant’s project team, Brisbane City Council and the state government”.

Central to the development would be the 1850s-built Milton House, which at the time of its construction belonged to prominent experimental farmer Ambrose Eldridge.

“The design of the master plan has focused on restoring the original setting of the dwelling, in terms of the relationship of the house to the slope of the land and reinstating the ability for the house to have a visual connection to the Brisbane River and CBD,” Urbis said.

“The built form of the proposed development, comprising four distinctive towers above an open landscaped plaza, enables the heritage place to be celebrated and appreciated.”

The council will consider the proposal.