Heritage watchdog slams highrise plan for Brisbane’s third oldest home

A highly controversial plan to turn Brisbane’s third oldest homestead into a luxury residential project, including a highrise, has been dealt a body blow by the State Government.

A deeply unpopular plan to build a 15-level residential tower next to Brisbane’s third-oldest homestead has been savaged by a Government body tasked with protecting the state’s heritage.

Burgundy Group Property Development Pty Ltd stirred up a hornet’s nest of opposition from neighbours and heritage lovers in January when it lodged a development application to radically revamp Shafston House.

The magnificent Kangaroo Point homestead, designed by renowned colonial-era architect Robin Dods and built in stages from 1851, includes sweeping lawns which flow down to the Brisbane River.

Shafston, which is the third oldest home left in Brisbane after Newstead House (1846) and Bulimba House (1849-50), is guarded by two cannons on the riverfront.

Owner Keith Lloyd at Shafston House. Picture: Tara Croser

Former owner and shipping tycoon Keith Lloyd sold the home and its sumptuous contents, including his superyacht Southern Cross which he moored out front, in one of Brisbane’s biggest auctions in November, 2020.

Burgundy director Kevin Pam was believed to have paid about $20 million for the site. The land alone was valued at $17.8 million.

The plans also include converting the homestead itself into luxury private units, refitting the Orderlies building as communal recreation facilities as well as units in the Wards building.

The Postal Depot building would be re-purposed and luxury riverfront homes built.

But the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) lodged a blistering put-down of the proposal on Brisbane City Council’s online development application portal earlier this week.

Canons guard the landmark sweeping lawn which runs down to the river. Picture: Tara Croser

The powerful agency called on Burgundy Group to go back to the drawing board.

“Given its proximity to the main residence of Shafston House, the bulk, scale and visual

appearance of the proposed 15-storey tower will have a substantial detrimental impact on

the landmark status of the Queensland heritage place,’’ SARA said in a letter to the developer.

“The tower as currently designed usurps the role of landmark at this place.

“The development proposal does not adequately minimise and mitigate the detrimental

impacts on the cultural heritage significance of the Queensland heritage place.’’

SARA, which has agreed to give Burgundy Group until April 14 to respond to its criticisms, told it to reconsider the location, scale, bulk, form, and architectural detailing of all of the new structures, not just the tower.

Inside Shafston House, which a developer wants to turn into apartments. Picture: Tara Croser

It also demanded a visual impact assessment showing a comparison of different building heights within the surrounding landscape, and how the tower would be sited, its scale and bulk so that it would be “subservient’’ to Shafston House.

SARA asked for visual evidence showing how the tower would not become the dominant structure or landmark feature on the site, which was included on the National Estate in 1978 and on the State Heritage register in 2005.

SARA said it opposed plans for riverfront homes to the north of the heritage lawn because they would endanger a weeping fig and restrict iconic views to and from Shafston House and the river.

A render of the proposed tower.

“The northern ‘potential low scale river homes’ result in unacceptable impacts on Shafston

House as a landmark along the Brisbane River and as a riverine estate with important

views to and from the river,’’ SARA wrote.

It added that units would require significant modifications to the Wards building, including demolition of significant fabric for firewalls, access and servicing.

“This would likely result in unacceptable detrimental impacts to significant intact heritage fabric,’’ it wrote, and demanded that aspect of the plan be dropped.

Kangaroo Point District Historical Society founder, Christa Gerard, said the proposal should never even have got to the stage of a development application being lodged.

“This is one of only two remaining riverine estates, the other being Newstead house,’’ she said.

Aerial view of the site. Source: Nearmap

“Toogoolawah in Bulimba is now down to a 0.65ha postage stamp and is cut off from the river, Bulimba House is no longer connected to the river and Riverside is long gone - it is now Mowbray Park.’’

“If you look at aerial views of Shaftston House it is a green oasis surrounded by highrise.

“We are supposed to be a river city and they want to block Shafston House from the river with a highrise and houses right on the riverfront.’’

Ms Gerard said the property was so significant it was a national issue, but “code assessable’’ planning rules meant residents had no right to appeal any approval in the courts and did not even have the right to be informed of what was going on.

Queensland Residents Group spokeswoman, Freya Robertson, said the protection of Shafston house was vital to the state’s history.

How the tower would look at ground level.

“It is an important part of Brisbane’s history. The tower is disproportional to the scale of the existing heritage building and blatant profiteering,’’ she said.

“A development of this scale is not needed to protect the heritage of the site.

“However, the grounds and vista from the river is the key aspect of this sites significance and needs to be protected above all else.

“Any new structure that blocks the grounds between the river and existing buildings needs to be removed.

“The opening of even a small part of the grounds to public access along the waterfront is needed as a condition of approval, to continue to improve river access for the people of Brisbane — and not have it taken and sequestered by the obscenely wealthy.’’

Planners Urbis, acting for Burgundy Group, said however that the project was in line with community expectations for the area.

“The proposal has adopted a holistic design approach, to appropriately respond to the varied built form and natural landscape on the site, with careful consideration of the cultural heritage

values of Shafston House, its grounds and associated heritage buildings,’’ Urbis wrote in the development application documents.

Former owner Keith Lloyd parked his super yacht Southern Cross outside Shafston. Picture: Tara Croser

“The proposal suitably responds to the rare characteristics of the site, including its inner-city location, size, large river frontage and elevated topography, which present a unique and unrivalled development opportunity.

“The development of the site presents a rare and unique opportunity to unlock and enhance the site’shistorical context, ensuring the heritage values of the original house, associated buildings and open lawn are protected, to be enjoyed by many generations to come.

“The overarching design principle for the development is to ensure its history remains prevalent in the built form and natural context of the land, providing a positive and iconic development outcome for the locality through the continued admiration of one of Brisbane’s oldest residences.

“The proposal in terms of its bulk, height, scale and land use, accords with the community’s expectations for development on the site under the Kangaroo Point Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan within the City Plan 2014.’’

More details on Council’s online development application portal developmenti. Search for application A005933994, or 23 Castlebar St.