Inside the new six-storey medical centre proposed for Ipswich Central

A huge new medical centre is coming to Ipswich Central – just across the street from St Andrew’s Hospital. The latest plans include a whopping six storeys and sleek modern design.

A new six-storey medical facility is in the pipeline for Ipswich Central, as rising demand continues to place stress on Ipswich’s medical services.

The development is proposed for a 1012m2 lot at 11 Pring Street Ipswich – across the street from St Andrews Hospital.

The lot is within the Ipswich CBD’s Medical Services Zone, in close proximity to a number of medical facilities – including the Ipswich Hospital.

It was previously home to a private residence, but was acquired by trustees Khaldoun Badawy and Sanaa Salama in March 2018 for $805k.

The Ipswich City Council approved plans for a five-storey facility at the development site on February 25 2019, and LandPartners Pty Ltd submitted updated plans with an additional storey last week.

The new plans maintain the same sleek modern exterior and a ground floor car park with 24 spaces.

The gross floor area will increase from the previously proposed 2558m2 to 2971m2 with the new floor.

The town planning report said the proposed changes have been “carefully designed to reduce any potential impacts to surrounding amenity and will not dominate the skyline or impact on views”.

It further stated that the proposal “incorporates high levels of architectural design and is designed to reflect the surrounding land uses and maintain the character of the CBD”.

The medical centre will be used for medical offices and consulting rooms only, and will not be used for any procedures or ‘day surgery’ uses.

A representative of Gibson Architects said the project is still in the early stages and there’s no construction timeline at this stage.

The specific facilities that will be offered in the centre will also be determined at a later stage.