Towering mini-metropolis to transform neglected inner-city precinct

A decade ago an inner Brisbane suburb was made a priority development area and yet one precinct within the plan has been a slow burner.

A DECADE old plan to transform a precinct surrounding an inner Brisbane station into a mini metropolis is finally taking shape now a second apartment tower is rising from the ground.

The 28-storey Panorama tower, on Mayne Rd, was approved six years ago and yet it was not until late last year that the project, within 80m of Bowen Hills station, swung into action.

It will sidle up to Madison Heights, which stands 30 storeys and stands alone opposite The Courier-Mail offices on the corner of Mayne Rd and Campbell St, Bowen Hills.

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Once finished, Panorama and Madison will be the stand out developments so far within Precinct 1 of the Bowen Hills Priority Development Area (PDA) which was released in 2009.

Precinct 1 was also coined the Bowen Hills Heart.

A crane shoots from the ground where the Panorama tower on Mayne Rd, Bowen Hills will open in late 2020 with more than 250 apartments. Picture: Darren Cartwright

Panorama’s developer Arden Group purchased the site, with a DA, fours year ago off Metro Property which built Madison Heights.

Arden Group’s national director of sales and marketing Peter Hobbs said knowing when to start the project was all about time and it would come online in the last quarter of 2020.

“Across the board with property, whether you’re a developer or an individual purchaser, lending criteria has changed over the last few years,” Mr Hobbs said.

“From our prospective we are pushing ahead, with funding in place and we have pre-sold seventy per cent of the development.”

An outline of the Bowen Hills Priority Development Area which centres on Bowen Hills station within Precinct 1. Picture: Supplied

The arrival of Panorama has been a long time coming given many of the other areas within the Bowen Hills PDA have come on in leaps and bounds including the RNA Showgrounds precinct.

It sits within the Bowen Hills Heart which designed to be a ‘new neighbourhood” that would be complemented by a major mixed-use development and a “civic plaza”.

Yet many of the areas within the Bowen HiIls PDA, such as the RNA Showgrounds (Precinct 2), have come forward in leaps and bounds but the core of the gentrification has been left behind.

An artist's impression of the entrance to Panorama tower on Mayne Rd, Bowen Hills which will open in late 2020 with more than 250 apartments. Picture: Supplied

Mr Hobbs said the Panorama would kick start further development in the area given the precinct surrounding Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital had gained momentum and the natural flow-on effect was the Bowen Hills station region.

“We are seeing different areas of Bowen Hills growing like the RNA development site which has been massive,” he said.

“That has been the development centre of Bowen Hills and its spreading out from the showgrounds across the precinct because that has provided the core services, retail and commercial.

“Also the medical precinct near the hospital, which is a huge drawcard for employment, has taken place … those two urban renewal areas alone are creating a lot of interest in the area.”

It will contain 256 apartments, some 30 fewer and two floors less than Madison Heights, with an entry price of $350,000 for a one-bedroom apartment with no car park.

An artist's impression of the Panorama tower on Mayne St, Bowen Hills which will open in late 2020 and contain more than 250 apartments. Picture: Arden Group

The gentrification of Bowen Hills may have been outlined a decade ago and while development applications have to be lodged with the Brisbane City Council, it does not mean the council is behind the plan.

Quite the opposite.

City Planning Chair Matthew Bourke said the council had reservations about the development and how it will ultimately impact in the “area’s unique character”.

“Council is concerned that significant growth which is delivered as part of a State Government-led PDA could place an unacceptable burden on Brisbane’s infrastructure,” Mr Bourke said.

“Council is committed to supporting a broad range of housing options for all of Brisbane’s current and future residents and ensuring our city remains a great place to live, work and relax.”

The Madison Heights tower on the corner of Mayne Rd and Campbell St, Bowen Hills won't look so out of proportion when it is joined by another apartment tower next year. Picture: Darren Cartwright

The PDA is located east of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, south of the ICB and Enoggera Creek and north of Brunswick Street and was dissected into nine precincts and sub-precincts.

Mr Hobbs said there’s no denying the area was growing and the RBWH alone was a drawcard for residential developers because it employed thousands of workers.

He even predicted the area was comparable to South Brisbane because of the infrastructure in and around the RNA Showgrounds

“Certainly you will be able to compare it to South Brisbane which were are already seeing at the RNA Showgrounds which has the convention centre and hotels,” Mr Hobbs said.

“Bowen Hills, being located less than two kilometres from the CBD and in a good urban growth corridor, ticks all the boxes for the southern investors.”