Highrise boom coming to overlooked Indooroopilly area

A decade ago it was a vibrant hub of cafes, shops and units. This little pocket in up-market Indooroopilly has fallen by the wayside since then, but a new boom could be coming soon. Here’s what is happening.

The highrise unit boom on the eastern side of Indooroopilly train station looks set to jump the tracks and spread up the hill to Indooroopilly Shopping Centre.

Lambert Rd is now almost wall-to-wall residential towers since the area near the train station was identified several years ago for “transport oriented developments’’.

The latest proposal came in March when Centa Property Group lodged a development application (DA) for a 12-level, 95-unit tower on the corner of Lambert Rd and Railway Ave.

If approved, it would feature a communal rooftop open space on a 13th level including BBQ, dining area, pool, lounge and outdoor yoga/gym space.

Eldorado Cinemas development, artist’s impression released in 2016.

The El Dorado Cinema. Picture: John Wilson

But the area on the western side of the train station, from Coonan St back up the hill along Station Rd to Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, has experienced a slump in the same period.

The once vibrant cafe and restaurant scene has been replaced by some vacant shopfronts, with complaints about the state of street awnings on a section of Station Rd.

Dilapidated awnings on Station Rd earlier this year.

Bold plans for a residential highrise with cinema, nightclub and bowling alley at the El Dorado cinema site also appeared to have been pushed back, after United Cinemas was granted an extension on its plans early last year.

It now has until February 2024 and September 2025 to build the two-stage project.

There are a number of mediumrise unit projects in the area including: 22 Riverview Tce (eight storeys); 25 Riverview Tce (six storeys); and 30 Riverview Terrace (10 storeys).

Very few projects have come on the market in recent times, but there are now new signs of life.

Aerial view of the land parcel acquired over 15 years by Keylin.

In April, major developer Keylin Group was revealed as the owner of a huge site it had amalgamated over 15 years.

Keylin managing director, Louis Cheung, said at the time that the site, fronting Station Rd, Riverview Tce and Foxton St, could be redeveloped into an integrated mixed-use project with residential, commercial office space, ground-floor dining and “world class’’ communal rooftop space to showcase spectacular city and river views.

Some of the units could be build-to-rent, a new trend where developers build, then rent out, units to longer-term tenants and manage the properties.

Artist's impression of the proposed Riverview Tce unit project.

In the latest signs of revival in the area, Melqart Pty Ltd has engaged Viva Property Group to lodge a DA at 21 Riverview Tce.

It is proposing a seven-level, 25-unit tower, including landscaped rooftop BBQ area, which would replace a single house on the site.

There would be 52 basement and ground-level carparking spaces and five one-bed, five two-bed and 15 three-bedroom units, to be built in a single stage.

The project is impact assessable, meaning residents can appeal it in the courts and must be notified.

“It is acknowledged that the proposal is for seven storeys and therefore exceeds the acceptable outcome for building height (five levels),’’ the DA documents said.

Artist's impression of how the proposed Centa Property Group tower on the corner of Lambert Rd and Railway Ave would look.

“But it is considered that the proposed development will have a building height that is aligned with community expectations about the number of storeys.’’

The DA also said three other buildings on Riverview Tce were above the five-level limit and the visual impact of the new project, from the street, would be softened by landscaping.

Many residents would expect developments of 7-10 stories as “the majority of the community would be unaware of the varying acceptable outcomes for building height in the local area’’.

“The community will have the opportunity to comment on expectations about the number of storeys to be built during the public notification period,’’ the DA read.

More details of the proposal can be found on Council’s online Da portal, developmenti. search for the address or application A006030150.