35yo splashes $5.5m only to swing wrecking ball, rebuild

A high flying co-owner of 17 Queensland medical practices who spent millions buying two houses in one of Brisbane’s oldest suburbs has applied to knock parts of them down. SEE WHY

Shruti Deshwal paid a combined $5.5 million for two houses in Beetson St and now wants to knock parts of them down.

A high flying co-owner of 17 Queensland medical practices who spent $5.5m buying two century-old houses in one of Brisbane’s oldest suburbs has applied to council to knock parts down and combine them into a massive single-family home.

Shruti Deshwal, 35, who co-owns medical management business Cordium with her GP husband Gaurav Singh, 40, paid $3.7m for the renovated three-bedroom house at 15 Beeston St in February last year, and $1.785m for number 19 next door in 2019.

19 Beeston st Teneriffe (centre) with large grey roof, and 15 Beeston St on right with palm trees. source: realestate.com.au

In May she applied to Brisbane City Council for the green light to “partially demolish” sections of the homes to create a five-bedoom and eight-bathroom mansion on 1102 sqm, a massive block for the trendy inner-city suburb of Teneriffe.

The plans show it will have a pool, wine room, four-car garage, two studies, a l

Shruti Deshwal who owns 15 and 19 Beeston St Teneriffe with husband Dr Gaurav Singh

ibrary, games room and a glass link connecting the two buildings.

“The proposed works involve partial demolition and additions/alterations to” 15 and 19 Beeston St, the town planning report by Property Projects Australia (PPA) submitted to council states.

19 Beeston St was built in 1896 and was once a grand brick house named “Idaleigh”, but was most recently configured as five strata titled units.

While number 15 was built in 1916 and named “Cranulla”, it was recently elegantly renovated keeping its breezeways, VJ walls, stained glass windows, and French doors.

The current inside of 15 Beeston St Teneriffe which will be totally renovated, with the kitchen and lounge moving next door to 19 Beeston St. Picture: realestate.com.au

The houses are in the character residential zone of the New Farm and Teneriffe Hill neighbourhood and sit within a traditional building character overlay.

Ms Deshwal and Mr Singh plan to gut the entire inside of number 19’s ground floor, which is exempt from council assessment.

The combined home will still look like two houses from the street with two garages on Beeston St, council documents state.

proposed plan for 15 & 19 BEESTON STREET TENERIFFE. QLD

On June 12, Brisbane City Council wrote to Ms Deshwal to tell her that her plan to demolish a section the roof of 15 Beeston Street “forward of the main roof ridge line” and a pre-1947 window on the northwest side, would not be supported by council.

Senior urban planner Justin Sellars asked Ms Deshwal to give council new drawings showing the house with the roof “forward of the main ridge line” remaining, and drawings showing the window on the northwest side, “or like-for-like replacement of this window if amaged beyond repair”.

19 Beeston St Teneriffe was five strata titled units source: realestate.com.au

The homes are just around the corner from New Farm State School, and a short walk from Teneriffe park and James Street shops and restaurants.

“While the proposed works involve partial demolition of elements which can be seen from the street (Beeston St), the extent of partial demolition is generally replaced with materials, finishes and external elements that are reflective of traditional building character, which can ultimately occur as prescribed accepted development,” the PPA report states.

“The development application complies with the relevant acceptable outcomes or performance outcomes of the assessment benchmarks or achieves compliance with the purpose and overall outcomes of the assessment benchmarks,” the PPA report states.

The couple co-own two medical practices in Ashgrove, as well as one each in Broadbeach, Burpengary, Manly West, Chapel Hill, Carina, Petrie, and a Children’s Lung and Sleep Specialist and a regular GP in Woolloongabba.

They also co-own clinics two clinics in Spring Hill, and one each in Ascot, Strathpine, South Brisbane, Warner and Greenslopes.

They also co-manage four GP clinics in Tasmania.