By Tony Moore
One of Brisbane's heritage-listed, inner-city riverside parcels of land will be presented to Brisbane City Council this morning for redevelopment.
The long-running Howard Smith Wharves project proposes to build a nine-storey boutique hotel, restaurants and public spaces on the heritage-listed site under the Story Bridge.
The Howard Smith Wharves, beneath the Story Bridge, in Brisbane's CBD.Credit: Glenn Hunt
The project was originally put forward in 2006 and has been closely scrutinised by conservationists, Labor councillors and the National Trust of Queensland.
Queensland's National Trust executive director Stewart Armstrong said the heritage buildings kept as part of the Howard Smith wharf redevelopment needed to have an ongoing use to make the project viable.
"They need to have activity in them so it makes the need to maintain them worthwhile," Mr Armstrong said last night.
"They need a use and that use needs to be compatible with what is going on around them.
"It needs some form of a management structure and none of that seem to be coming out in the development structure to date."
Mr Armstrong said the National Trust supported the redevelopment of the site, but hoped further details would be provided before final approval was given by Brisbane councillors.
He said the trust had also raised concerns about the proposed hotel being too close to the Story Bridge.
"I think it was the way the (proposed) hotel was coming close to the bridge there, so I hope they have had a look at that," Mr Armstrong said.
In March this year, Brisbane City Council released updated plans for the project, tucking the proposed hotel away from the bridge and closer to existing buildings.
The gesture won partial support, but still not approval from Council's Labor councillors.
In March, local councillor David Hinchliffe said the changes to the wharves plans were "good, but not good enough."
He said he appreciated the hotel site being pushed back against the Kangaroo Point cliff line.
"They have sliced it away from Admiralty Quays, so that is good," Cr Hinchliffe said.
"But the scale of the hotel is still - in no-one's language other than Cr Cooper's (Planning Commitee chair) - a boutique hotel.
Cr Hinchliffe said he believed the hotel should be reduced in gross floor area, back from the 15,000 square metres previously shown.
"So it is good, but it is still not good enough."
The project comes to the Neighbourhood Planning committee this morning for recommendation to next week's full council meeting.
Mr Armstrong said the National Trust realised it commercial operations were needed to preserve heritage sites.
"I think the reality is that most heritage places can't support themselves entirely and there needs to be recognised that there needs to be some other activity to preserve them."