First look at new plans for historic riverfront ABC Toowong site

A grand entrance through an avenue of century-old fig trees, LED lighting, public art and new facades have been unveiled for a landmark former riverfront ABC site.

Pedestrians will enter the revamped ABC site through a grand stairway and lifts under fig trees lit up at night by LED lighting, new designs for the riverfront site reveal.

Details of a new bikeway snaking through the 1.5ha, $520 million project, to be called “Monarch’’, have also been unveiled.

And visitors will be able to walk along an arcade dotted with public art and tropical landscaping from Coronation Drive, past state Heritage Listed Middenbury House, and on to Archer St or Council’s green bridge.

Council asked Consolidated to re-work the facade to reduce its visual bulk.

Consolidated Properties Group (CPG) has redesigned the facade of two planned residential towers after Council officers expressed concerns about visual bulk and other issues.

But CPG conceded the two towers would be closer together than allowed under planning rules for the area.

It also conceded the 6.4 per cent average gradient of the bikeway, entering at Coronation Drive and exiting on to Archer St, exceeded guidelines.

Two “ramps’’ on the bike paths would be even steeper, but it said the difficult topography meant there was no alternative and measures such as signs and speed bumps would be used to increase safety.

How Middenbury would look surrounded by the two towers.

A stand of century-old Moreton Bay figs fronting Coronation Drive would mark the pedestrian entrance to the project.

“The fig trees will be wrapped in LED lights, ensuring that the site will be visible in the evenings and become a landmark along the frontage of the site as pedestrians and vehicles pass by,’’ the revised development application said.

“The proposed development outcome includes a publicly accessible, privately owned, pedestrian pathway connecting Coronation Drive with Archer St, beginning just south of the fig trees, with a grand staircase and lift bringing people from Coronation Drive into the site. “This arcade wraps around Middenbury House.’’

Vehicle, pedestrian and bike access to the site.

CPG emerged as the $43.5 million buyer of the ABC site in March last year.

Gold Coast-based developer Sunland offloaded it, and adjacent heritage building St Briavels in Archer St, after a rare loss for a developer in the Planning & Environment Court.

Multi-millionaire neighbours Richard and Kate Bell argued the project would overshadow their swish riverfront home.

Residents almost never win such court cases because of their massive cost and because Brisbane’s planning laws are so grotesquely biased in favour of developers.

The new facade at one of the proposed towers.

CPG said its revised proposal provided 382 sqm of centre activity uses, 498 sqm of outdoor dining area within the restoration and re-use of Middenbury House, and more than 3000 sqm of public realm throughout the site, which it said provided a “pivotal connection to Brisbane’s riverfront’’.

“This equates to approximately 35 per cent of the development area dedicated to commercial and public use throughout the site,’’ it said.

Middenbury House, which dates to 1865 and once hosted King Edward V111, who later abdicated so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, will have a 16m-wide view corridor to the river and new views to the CBD.

The two towers are closer than allowed under Council rules. Consolidated argues this should be allowed due to facade treatment and orientation.

CPG said although the two towers would be 10.5m apart at the closest point, increasing to 16.3m at the widest point — less than the 12-18m minimum allowed — this was addressed by the orientation of balconies and habitable rooms, with the views of the towers focused on the Brisbane river and city.

Consolidated Properties’ head of residential, James MacGinley, said the council was generally supportive of its approach.

“It’ll continue to be refined as we go through the detailed design process over the next couple of months,” he said.

How the Toowong to West End green bridge will look.

He said the John Wardle-designed development aimed to be “quite striking and different, but also fit in well with the architecture of Brisbane’s western suburbs”.

“The architects ended up being really inspired by the architecture of the local Queenslander houses, particularly in relation to the wraparound verandas with the batten railings and arches,” he said.

He said last week’s floods peaked 3m below where ground-floor units in the clifftop site would be located.

The house once hosted the Prince of Wales, later King Edward who famously abdicated ot marry Wallace Simpson.

Middenbury House's State Heritage Listed river views will be protected with a 16m wide corridor.

Monarch will have 233 apartments of one to four beds each, priced from $550,000 to more than $7 million for the penthouses.

Work is expected to begin on the project, which is code assessable and therefore cannot be appealed by residents in the courts, by the end of this year.

For more details view the development application on Council’s online portal developmenti and search for application A005881543