Will Goldicott House in Toowong be turned into an aged care facility?

ANGRY locals are taking action after seeing a historic Brisbane home promoted for a significant new purpose despite not having the correct zoning.

Goldicott House on Grove Cr, Toowong. Picture: Realestate.com.au

QUESTIONS have been raised about how an historic Brisbane home can be advertised as a future medical and aged care facility despite not having the correct zoning.

Goldicott House in Grove Cr, Toowong was built in 1885 and was the first home in Brisbane, if not Queensland, to have poured concrete.

Sitting on a 12,340sqm block, the former Sisters Of Mercy residence, changed hands recently for some $8 million and already the developer is looking for expressions of interest.

The Pikos Group, which is constructing a medical and aged care facility in Clayfield and major residential developments at Kangaroo Point, Hamilton and West End, is promoting Goldicott House as a medical and aged care facility.

The heritage-listed home sits at the end of a cul-de-sac and neighbour Rebecca Kenny has joined forces with fellow Toowong residents to question the proposed development.

Ms Kenny, who started the Facebook page Toowong’s Heritage – worth fighting for, said she had been informed that the developer wanted to build three towers to house 600 beds in total.

She said the land on which the 132-year-old house sits is zoned for educational use and she wants to know how the developer can advertise an aged and medical facility when no application for the land’s use had been lodged.

“It’s extremely confident on their part to advertise it for something that it’s not currently zoned for and there’s an arrogance that they have already got the deal done,” she said.

Goldicott is on the Queensland Heritage register as Mount St Mary's Convent.

Ms Kenny said Grove Crescent was already chocked with parked cars and building a facility to house 600 people, plus staff, would put an even further strain on a suburb that is under heavy development.

“Their only access is a tiny cul-de-sac which is already a bottle neck,” she said.

In her efforts to ascertain if The Pikos Group had already gained permission to build, she wrote to the Brisbane City Council’s Planning Chair Julian Simmonds asking if the property had been re-zoned.

“I can confirm that the site is zoned Community Facilities (Education Purpose) Zone under City Plan 2014 and is located in the Toowong-Indooroopilly Neighbourhood Plan. The Zoning of the site has not changed from City Plan 2000,” Cr Simmonds wrote to Ms Kenny on May 22, 2017.

“As discussed, no development application has been lodged for this property at this point in time. I am dedicated to ensuring that the Walter Taylor Ward remains a great place to live and will be sure to contact you if I am advised of any impact development application at this address.”

Goldicott House was placed on the Queensland Heritage register in 1998 as Mount St Mary’s Convent and is listed under the ‘classicism’ style.

It was constructed between 1885-1918.

The Pikos’ Group had been contacted for comment.