Cairns development: Queenslander to be knocked down for Digger St units

A quaint old Queenslander is set to get the wrecking ball treatment as developers push ahead with plans to build a new four-storey apartment complex.

A QUAINT old Queenslander in Cairns North is set to get the wrecking ball treatment as developers push ahead with plans to build a new four-storey apartment complex.

Rostlo Pty Ltd bought the old home at 60 Digger St for $645,000 in March – a 708sq m property with a seven-bedroom house built in 1940.

A new development application reveals plans to tear down the old home and replace it with a nine-unit building spread across four floors.

The units would be used for both residential and short-term accommodation with 11 parking spots provided on the ground floor.

The current house is one of the last remaining old Queenslanders on the street with years of development gradually eating away at the area’s historical architecture.

“The adjoining site at 62-68 Digger St is the Meridian complex which has two three-storey buildings,” the application states. “The adjoining site at 58 Digger St has a two-storey building.

“The two adjoining sites to the rear at 303-305 Lake St, and 297-301 Lake St each have three-storey buildings onsite.

“All adjoining sites are for the uses of multiple dwellings or short-term accommodation.”

The developer initially planned to build nine two-bedroom units on the site but added three three-bed units to the mix to satisfy local demand. Cairns Regional Council has not yet made a decision on the proposal.

Blue dots indicate where other apartment complexes already exist within the vicinity of the proposed development. Picture: Supplied

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Originally published as Cairns development: Queenslander to be knocked down for Digger St units