Walker Corporation wins council planning approval for Fortitude Valley office tower

WITH developers refocusing on commercial buildings in the face of an apparent apartment oversupply, a 26-storey office tower in Fortitude Valley has received planning approval.

APPROVED: An artist's impression of Walker Corporation's planned office tower at 801 Ann St, Fortitude Valley.

WALKER Corporation, has won development approval for a state-of-the art, 26-storey office tower in Fortitude Valley.

At 801 Ann St in the Fortitude Valley Urban Renewal Precinct, the whole of block building will cover 44,000sq m of net lettable area and feature large, flexible floorplates of about 2000sq m.

Walker Corporation Queensland manager Peter Saba said the company was in discussions with a range of major corporate clients who are seeking A-grade office space in the heart of the lively, creative hub of Fortitude Valley.

“Our building is expected to house 5000 workers and feature a soaring, light-filled lobby filled with works of art and spaces to bring the outdoors inside the building, which will have views over New Farm, Mount Cootha and the CBD,” he said.

The A-grade tower will sit on a full city block of 3582sq m bordered by Ann, McLachlan, Connor and Morgan streets

Walker Corporation, under billionaire Lang Walker, previously submitted a DA in 2014 to the Brisbane City Council for two residential towers on the Austral Motors site, which it bought from AP Eagers for $22.2 million.

The new building, located on a main artery road into Brisbane’s CBD and close to James Street Precinct and Fortitude Valley Railway Station, offers interconnectivity between floors, meeting and conference rooms and outdoor breakout spaces and terraces.

It will be constructed to achieve a minimum 5 Green Star Rating and NABERS Energy Rating, with completion of the development expected in 2020.

The development follows Walker Corporation’s very successful commercial office projects in Melbourne, with the $2.6 billion Collins Square project and the $2.8 billion Parramatta Square in Sydney.

Mr Saba said Walker Corporation was also undertaking a range of major developments across Queensland, including Citiswich, which is home to the new Costco, as well as residential developments in Milton and Gladstone and planned developments at Toondah Harbour and Robina.