Brisbane property developer blames Cross River Rail for delaying Albert Street tower

This skyscraper will dominate Brisbane’s skyline once complete, but its developer has pointed the blame for continuous delays firmly underground.

A LUXURY tower soaring 91-storeys into Brisbane’s sky is in limbo, with its developer pointing the blame for delays at Cross River Rail.

Development documents for the towering, 274-metre tall proposal at 30 Albert St state that attempts to resolve conflicts between the rail tunnel and the building’s basement levels since 2018 have been fruitless.

“To date, the (Cross River Rail Delivery Authority) has not provided a substantive response to the structural engineering advice prepared,” the letter to Brisbane City Council states.

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“The Applicant has not been able to commence construction due to the absence of a response from CRRDA.”

The new tower would have 857 apartments and 956 sqm of retail space.

The 91-storey tower at 30 Albert St (centre) would reach 274 metres high, almost the maximum height allowed by air authorities for buildings in Brisbane's CBD. Picture: PD Online.

The source of conflict between CRRDA and the building’s developer, World Class Land, has been over the tower’s 440 car parks located in the basement levels.

WCL applied for 10 basement levels in 2017, however scaled back the proposal to eight levels after concern from the state government.

The $6 billion tunnel, which will run directly under the CBD and have a station located further along Albert St, has a seven-metre exclusion zone.

Renders show the building's basement within the seven-metre exclusion zone (in green) around the now-under construction Cross River Rail project. Picture: PD Online.

The basement of 30 Albert St comes within 3.45 metres of the rail runnel.

The developer, World Class Land, is now requesting Brisbane City Council allow the project’s construction timeline to be extended.

The company said it had not received a response to engineering plans submitted to the CRRDA in September and had “limited clarity” as to when its current plans could be built.

A render of what the under-construction Albert Street Station would look like. The station will be located further north along Albert St from the proposed 91-storey tower. Picture: Cross River Rail Delivery Authority.

A Cross River Rail Delivery Authority spokeswoman however said it was working through issues along the 10.2-kilometre rail corridor.

“The Cross River Rail Delivery Authority is engaging with all affected landowners and tenants, including the land owners of 30 Albert Street,” the spokeswoman said.