Pellicano pivots Spring Hill unit tower as race for 2032 Games accommodation heats up
A national developer wants to scrap a planned inner-Brisbane residential tower in favour of a new 25-level high-rise with 260 rooms it claims could help solve Brisbane’s looming Olympics hotel crisis.
A national developer has promised to get cracking and open a high-rise with 260 hotel rooms and rental units in Brisbane’s inner-city by 2029, as the race to build Olympics accommodation hits full stride.
Pellicano Group has revealed it wants to scrap a planned residential tower in Spring Hill and instead start work next year on a 25-level luxury building, featuring 144 hotel rooms and 116 short-term rental units.
It comes after tourism experts warned that the Olympics host city must move a mountain to build enough visitor accommodation in time for the 2032 Games.
Brisbane’s hotel room numbers have grown by 7 per cent year-on-year since 2017, according to commercial property analyst JLL.
But the Queensland Tourism Industry Council predicted the state would have only 51,000 rooms by 2030, even taking into account new projects, nowhere near what was needed.
It takes three to four years to open a large hotel, so approvals must be in place and work under way on new builds by 2029, at the latest, to meet demand.
Accommodation was already so tight that most hotel rooms in the South Bank area were full
during the NRL Magic round in May. Those still vacant were going for up to $800 a night for a single.
Pellicano, which owned eight east coast properties including the 700-unit South City Square development in Woolloongabba, said it aimed to start work on “Spring House’’ by mid-2026 if its “change of use’’ application was approved by Brisbane City Council.
The 157 Leichhardt St site, which Pellicano bought last December, already had approval for 112 one- to three-bed units.
Town planners Property Projects Australia said the new design would have 116 one- and two-bed studio units as well as 144 short-term, serviced apartments able to be rented by visitors for periods of four days to three months.
The short-stay rooms would be built to feel like a “home away from home’’ with access to a rooftop pool, cinema and BBQ areas.
Guests would use the Rambla booking website for digital check ins.
In a twist, the public could use a new wellness area on the rooftop, to be operated under the Neuewell brand, with access by memberships.
The health and wellness facility would feature state-of-the-art fitness equipment and recovery facilities.
Carparking would be increased by 17 spaces, to a total of 163, because of the extra units.
But a traffic report said the project would generate only 50 extra weekday peak period car trips.
Council officers expressed concerns at a “pre-lodgement’’ meeting about the setbacks which were even less than the original approval.
There was a tiny 2.9m setback from an adjacent 10-level vacant tower on Leichhardt St, just 4.6m from another Leichhardt St tower and 4.9m from the Astor Terrace Hotel.
The officers also expressed concerns about the extent of glazing, the visual impact of the podium and the building’s overall bulk.
