Suburb profile: Sleepy suburb to become mini metropolis

LESS than six kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD sits a sleepy suburb about to experience a population explosion, thanks to an $850 million project that will transform 14 hectares of land. But the shock may be too much for long-time locals to absorb.

An artist’s impressions of Yeerongpilly Green, which will be home to a retail and eateries precinct along with 1200 apartments and townhouses.

LESS than six kilometres from the CBD sits a sleepy southside suburb which is about to experience a population explosion and the shock may be too much for long-time locals to absorb.

Yeerongpilly will be transformed into a mini metropolis when more than 1200 apartments and townhouses and retail precinct occupy the former site of the Animal Research Institute.

It will take the number of homes within Yeerongpilly from 817 (2016 Census) to more than 2000 when Yeerongpilly Green is fully opened in a decade.

The $850 million project, on 14 hectares, includes a series of apartment towers up to 12 storeys high, two-level townhouses specialty stores, a supermarket, eateries, cinemas and a hotel.

An artist’s impression of the $850 million Yeerongpilly Green, which will transform 14 hectares and see the population more than double.

It will also be the home of Brisbane Catholic Education will see the number of Yeerongpilly’s residents balloon from a relatively a “small country town” population of 1934 to more than 4500.

Cr Nicole Johnstone said the area will “radically change”.

Local councillor Nicole Johnstone can clearly see the benefits but also the issues surrounding the project, which is on the doorstep of Yeerongpilly railway station.

“It’s about to undergo massive change. It will radically change Yeerongpilly from a tiny suburb to one of the biggest,” Cr Johnstone said.

“It will be a shock … but I think Yeerongpilly residents will be looking forward to the extra amenities which will come from having new shops and businesses because it is a small precinct at the moment.

“There will be a massive knock-on impact for public transport and congestion to access local areas and as it is constructed over the next few years.”

The ‘Green’ was launched a year ago by local state member and Minister for Transport Mark Bailey, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Jackie Trad.

Developed by Consolidated Properties, the project was coined a master-planned community and capable of holding open-air events and festivals.

Consolidated Properties executive chairman Don O’Rorke said the first stage will include all of the supermarket-based shopping centre, retail and restaurant precinct and a total of 170 apartments and townhouses.

The Green development, above, will breathe life into the western side of Yeerongpilly, local business owner Scott Rutherford says.

He said the development would be flood-proofed during the first stage and overall it will be aimed at owner-occupiers with the entry price below $500,000 and could easily attract more than 2500 residents in total.

“The first stage is the biggest and will include … the office building of Brisbane Catholic Education, the first round of apartments and townhouses, so it’s a pretty significant first stage,” he told The Courier-Mail.

“The whole site is flood-proofed … everything will be dry and it does not mean transferring the water. The water is drained properly so no one is worse off.

“It’s a transport orientated development and with Cross River Rail going in, the frequency of trains will increase.”

When completed, the ‘Green’ should breathe life into the western side of Yeerongpilly, which mainly consists of light industrial businesses, said Scott Rutherford, who owns K9 Kids Doggy Day Care on Fairfield Rd.

Owner of doggy daycare K9 Kids, Scott Rutherford, is looking forward to the development of Yeerongpilly Green.

Mr Rutherford grew up in the area and lives nearby and said businesses on the western side of the railway line would benefit from the massive influx of residents.

“Most of the people we know are on the other side of train tracks but as for this side there is really just the industrial zone so the Green will help all businesses on this area,” he said.

He also expected it would become an entertainment hub given the feedback from residents who adjacent to the Queensland Tennis Centre, in neighbouring Tennyson, had been extremely positive.

“We get quite a few of the small dogs from high rise apartments next to the tennis centre and they see the Green as being good for the area,” he said

“They are keen about it because at the moment they have to travel to Fairfield or Moorooka to go grocery shopping.”

As for his doggy day care business, he chose the location because of the exposure along busy Fairfield Road and it was a feeder road for inner city workers.

“It’s a good area because its within close proximity to the city and we get owners who are on their way to work, like the Mater Hospital, and drop their dogs in,” Mr Rutherford said.

Also looking forward to the development was the head brewer of Helios Brewing, Charlie Hodgson.

Helios head brewer Charlie Hodgson said the decision to open their premises in Yeerongpilly was influenced by the Yeerongpilly Green development.

The micro-brewery, one of two in Yeerongpilly, opened in December and Mr Hodgson said the Green could not come quick enough for their fledgling business, which also has a bar.

“The southside is growing and we were well aware of Yeerongpilly Green and having a multimillion-dollar development next to us was also why we opened here,” Mr Hodgson said.

McGrath Estate Agents principle Sharon Wilson said the development would definitely change the suburb but not necessarily for the worse.

She said the retail zone and the eateries were based on the Gasworks precinct at Newstead, and the railway station provided express trains to the CBD.

“The station was upgraded a few years ago and includes disabled access,” she said.

“It (the development) has helped house prices because of the infrastructure that is going in there … but it will take a toll on traffic and the roads.”

She said the average number of homes to change hands each year was about 20 and the median had climbed from $700,000 in 2017 to $820,000 in 2018 although it can fluctuate heavily depending on the housing stock.

A pocket on the eastern side of the rail line at Yeerongpilly has million-dollar plus homes with city views while on the western side entry-level homes are sub-$700,000.

“It is a small suburb and there’s not that much changeover,” Ms Wilson said.

“There is a protected area … where there are beautiful big blocks and … turn of the century homes. That’s in Wingarra Street and Biarra Street and they have views of the city.”

She said even though Yeerongpilly was affected during the 2011 floods, only a handful of homes were inundated and had not adversely affected the median house price over the past seven years.

For families eyeing off the development, the primary and secondary school catchment areas were predominantly either Yeronga State School or Yeronga State High School.

The accessibility to the train line gave parents several private school options, said Ms Wilson.

“Because it’s on the train line a lot of the students catch the train into the city to attend private school like St Laurence’s College and Somerville House seem to be the most popular.” she said.