Wellington Point strawberry farm’s new neighbour: Housing estate, shops, hospital at Botanix site

The former Botanix events venue at Wellington Point will be demolished for a 300-dwelling urban village by Fiteni Homes, including a hospital, shops and tavern.

Inside the iconic Botanix garden and lifestyle venue before it deteriorated. Picture: McGees

A rundown events venue, once used for up-market weddings, will be bulldozed to make way for nearly 300 “affordable” dwellings, across the road from the last strawberry farm on the bayside.

Redland developer Fiteni Homes plans to transform the Wellington Point Botanix acreage block into an urban precinct complete with hospital, offices, a tavern, shops and houses.

The plans, approved by Redland City Council this week, increased the number of dwellings initially proposed from 64 to 293.

Botanix was once known for its iconic glass-roofed garden and lifestyle centre.

The more intensive development, which would eventually provide housing for about 700 people, included 132 units, 142 townhouses and 19 detached dwellings.

Council approved the estate despite the number of dwellings exceeding planning limits and including medium-rise buildings which also was inconsistent with the town plan.

The site of the proposed Botanix redevelopment and housing estate. Picture: Google Maps.

Under the approved plans, Fiteni must start building residential stages within 10 years and could build up to only five storeys in certain areas, with higher levels requiring impact assessments from the community and council.

Fiteni bought the 7.7ha Botanix site for $6.85 million in 2012, paying the bayside city’s highest price for land that year.

But since then the site has deteriorated, with graffiti splashed across most walls of the once elegant dining room. Large glass bay windows were now smashed.

In 2016, after heavy rain, there were calls for investigations into whether the building would need to be demolished.

The site at Wellington Point is near the strawberry farm. Picture: The Courier-Mail

Fiteni denied land banking claims in June 2022 and said it was not withholding the release of housing land until building costs dropped and land prices rose.

Officers said the project would help the council meet a state government order of providing an extra 417 units in the area by 2041 and also address the need for diverse housing options.

The development included townhouses with minimum lot sizes of 120 sqm and detached houses from 300 sqm to 800 sqm.

Conditions would force the developer to plant koala food trees on an old dam which would be filled in, realign internal roads to preserve more trees and create extra parks on the site.

Flooding would also have to be managed, with the council expected to install electronic flood signs.

Redland councillor Wendy Boglary advocated a reduction in the amount of commercial space allocated at the development. Picture: Contributed

But existing Wellington Point businesses, which have claimed the proposed shops, gym and tavern would eat into their trade, were not granted a reduction in the size of the proposed shopping centre.

Nearby Wellington Point Strawberry Farm, the last operating in Redland, also raised concerns about the scale of the project affecting traffic on Main Rd.

Redland councillor for Wellington Point Wendy Boglary was refused a request to reduce the area allocated for shops at the precinct from 1500 sqm to 1000 sqm.

Cr Boglary said the shops would be in direct competition with traders at the Horizon shopping centre less than 1km away.

“I know the local traders and I know they’re struggling,” she said.

“They were struggling before Covid and … they’ve struggled since Covid.

“They actually need this influx of residents to help them.”