Loreto College building plan lodged to cater for new year levels

A top Brisbane Catholic secondary school has applied to the State Government to expand, ahead of two new year levels being added. SEE WHAT’S COMING

How the Loreto College revamp will look. Images: COX Aspect Studios

Loreto College in Coorparoo has applied to the State Government to move a pre-1946 house, demolish one of its buildings and upgrade another as it prepares for an influx of students.

Construction work would start in term three this year, Mondays to Saturdays from 6.30am-6.30pm, if approved by the State Government.

Last September, it was revealed Loreto had applied to the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board to add Year 5 in 2025 and Year 6 in 2026.

The college, Brisbane’s first Catholic boarding school, celebrates its centenary in 2028 and is listed as a local heritage place.

Cox Architecture was engaged to come up with the masterplan.

It involved moving the house and the partial demolition of the Mother Gonzaga Barry Centre, built in 1977 and the most modern building on the campus.

How the new Dale St building will look. Image: COX Aspect Studios

The Spanish Mission-style Casket building, which dates to 1931 and was built after a former student gave the Loreto nuns a prize-winning Golden Casket ticket, would be renovated and updated.

It has timber and wrought iron reused from Kemendine, the stately home built on the site in 1889 for the Deshon family. It became the first building when the school opened in 1928.

The iron and timber might be reused in a new pathway, while a vestry, residential pool and tennis court would be demolished. The existing chapel would be retained.

There is also an administration building on the campus, constructed in 1954.

A new three-level building would be constructed on the Dale St side of the precinct to cater for an extra 220 students and 14 staff, expected from 2025.

Artist's impression of the new Dale St building. Image: COX Aspect Studios

Set back from the street, it would include classrooms, administration, collaborative spaces and a senior studies centre.

There would be a new entrance plaza off Dale St and on-street passenger drop-off zone.

Community engagement earlier this year, conducted by planners Ethos Urban, revealed concerns by residents about worsening of already heavy traffic at pickup/drop-off times.

Feedback at a webinar included concerns aboutt traffic from Year 12 students driving to school and traffic from the new Year 5/6 dropoffs and pickups.

Some residents suggested Dale St should be made resident-only parking, or an underground carpark be built on school land.

Render of the new-look Casket building. It was built using proceeds from a Golden Casket ticket donated by a grateful student, which won the Loreto nuns 5000 pounds. Image: COX Studios

Residents described traffic as an “absolute nightmare’’ and feared the proposed six bays on Dale St were not enough for Year 5/6 drop-offs and pick-ups.

They also said the school should consider an internal drop-off/pickup site, should not remove the character house at 28 Dale St and that Lade St residents were not given enough opportunity to respond.

Residents said existing entrances should be maintained to protect Dale St and that there was not enough play space for the extra students.

Diagram of the new facilities. Image: COX Aspect Studios

The masterplan, lodged last month as a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation, bypasses normal Council planning laws.

The construction management plan said some work outside approved hours might be needed and that while the Dale St footpath would be kept open, gantry tunnels or traffic control might be needed.

Noise would be kept below 85 decibels, averaged over eight hours each day.

By 2026 the school was expected to have a total of 1150 students and 123 staff.

Loreto won excellence awards at the 2021 and 2022 Australian Education Awards.

More details here.