Projects on Brisbane’s bayside continue despite COVID-19
One Brisbane pocket is a hot spot for major developers with five big money projects currently under way. WATCH THE DRONE FOOTAGE OF A FAVOURITE LEAGUES CLUB REDEVELOPMENT.
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BIG money development will transform this formerly quiet Brisbane area forever.
Brisbane’s bayside was a region struggling for progress for many years but a recent change in demographic from older residents to more younger families has attracted major developers to come to town in recent years.
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And despite a global pandemic, these projects have continued with the area undergoing a major facelift with construction sites becoming more frequent by the month and two giant cranes visible from miles away.
Here is the progress of the top five major developments in the area:
WYNNUM MANLY LEAGUES CLUB $10M REDEVELOPMENT
The Wynnum Manly Leagues Club is currently in the middle of the venue’s biggest facelift in its 40-year history after last year receiving redevelopment approval from the Brisbane City Council.
Upgrades will include a new wing to the club allowing for a front presence to the traffic, a new open planned cafe and dining area with live entertainment, plus a new start of the art gaming lounge as well as the main field at Kougari Oval moving 6m towards the famous Chook Pen.
“The Wynnum Manly Leagues Club project is well advanced due to the forced shutdown of COVID-19,” CEO Craig Thomas said.
“This has allowed the builders to get a lot of the disruptive works underway and finished, the project is three staged with stage one due to open early September, stage two in November followed with a total completion late 2020 or early 2021.
“To date the project is on time and on budget. The project is starting to show some exciting major structure coming out of the ground after the extensive ground works have been completed.”
The project was also expected to bring in an addition 40 employees to the club’s already 100 team, a much-needed boost for employment in the area after COVID-19.
“On Thursday, May 28 the club was awarded the Best Football Club in Queensland at the Clubs Queensland awards presentation for the third year in a row now placing the club in the Hall Of Fame,” Mr Thomas said.
“This major renovation is only going to enhance that status within not only the bayside but Queensland.”
The club will reopen when the Queensland Government’s stage three is released, which is anticipated to be on July 10.
WYNNUM CINEMA/UNIT COMPLEX
Arguably the most anticipated development in the area is the new Wynnum Cinema, the area’s first cinema since the 1970s.
The project is something bayside residents called out for decades to be built and wasn’t a reality until Justin Ham from Berrima Develop Pty Ltd took it on.
Also including 66 units and some retail space, the cinema will continue the latest trend in the Wynnum CBD by becoming an entertainment precinct with new restaurants and eateries also opening up in recent times.
“The Lato Baia unit development atop of the new Wynnum Cinema Complex at Berrima Street in Wynnum has continued to be built during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Ham said.
“Fortunately there have been no government restrictions slowing down or stopping the building.
“The building remains on track to reach practical completion before Christmas this year.
The new owners of the 66 units will be taking residence in early 2021.
“COVID-19 restrictions shut the cinema industry for a few months, which has pushed the cinema opening date out to February/March 2021.”
ARBOR PARK TOWNHOUSE COMMUNITY
Bucking the trend of unit complexes being built on the bayside, heavyweight developers in Brisbane Pellicano and Arcone decided to put together a whopping $37 million townhouse community instead.
With the project at Wynnum Rd at Wynnum West, adjacent to the Wynnum Plaza, Pellicano general manager Michael Kent said the project would provide a boost for the changing demographic in the area.
“We have been overwhelmed by level of inquiry for Arbor Park to date driven by local owner occupiers and investors,” he said.
“This inquiry has translated to over 50 per cent of the townhomes being sold off-the-plan and as a result, construction being brought forward.
“Site establishment has been completed and we expect to commence full construction works onsite in the coming weeks.
“This is great news as it instils confidence in the delivery time frame for buyers and helps in providing much needed construction jobs during this time.”
Mr Kent said there has also been an increase in inquiries to live in the community since the Federal Government announced the Home Building Grant of $25,000.
The project includes 67 townhouses and was expected to be complete by June 2021.
WYNNUM PLAZA MEGA REDEVELOPMENT
Perhaps the biggest of all the developments set to hit the bayside in recent years is the proposal for a mega redevelopment of the Wynnum Plaza.
The project, submitted by powerhouse developers Shayher Properties to the Brisbane City Council on January 28, will include cinemas, more retail space and eight apartment buildings.
The project, if approved, will be the first major works on the centre since 2006 and the biggest at the venue since it opened in November 1980.
Shayher Properties, which own the Wynnum Plaza, is a private Taiwanese group which is also responsible for the $1 billion mixed-use Brisbane Quarter development, which included the opening of the W Hotel – the first five-star to open in Brisbane’s CBD in 20 years.
The project is currently being assessed for approval by the BCC and received five submissions from the community during the public consultation period, with some submissions for the development and some against.
Back when the application was submitted, Michael Belfield from Wynnum Plaza Retail Management said the development would include 187 units.
STRATTON TERRACE UNIT COMPLEX/RETAIL
The most controversial of the major developments in Brisbane’s bayside is a two-building unit complex and retail space planned for a street in the popular Manly Harbour Village.
A development application for 49 units at 195 Stratton Tce at Manly from DeMartini Fletcher was previously approved by the Council in 2018 before the developers then lodged a second application on June 28 last year, which reduced the number of units to 43 and retail space from 900 sqm to 140 sqm.
The proposal was approved by the Brisbane City Council in November despite fierce opposition from the bayside community with most submissions from local residents arguing the height of the proposed buildings would have an impact on the view of the picturesque bayside.
The approval is currently being appealed by residents.
“The bayside apartment market has been very resilient during the shutdown particularly for quality stock,” John Lunney from DeMartini Fletcher said.
“We have made five sales at Enclave Residences, Wynnum totalling in excess of $3 million since the start of March.
“This indicates a strong demand for quality apartments which bodes well for the launch of 191 Stratton in the coming months.”
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