New Woolloongabba plan to allow for 75-storey towers

Towers of up to 75 storeys would be allowed in Woolloongabba under a new Queensland government planning scheme put out for public comment on Thursday.

The new 106-hectare Priority Development Area, which wrests planning control for the precinct from Brisbane City Council, will allow the heights in two “catalyst uplift projects” near the Gabba stadium and the new Cross River Rail station.

An indicative render of the proposed Woolloongabba priority development area.Credit: Queensland Government

It would allow for 14,000 new homes, which would house an estimated 24,000 residents, and aimed to deliver more public space, improved pedestrian and cycle connections to South Bank and the CBD, and limit urban sprawl on the city’s fringes.

In addition, about 36,000 workers would be employed in the precinct.

Although the government had moved on from the Gabba rebuild, the PDA “supports the Gabba stadium and its operational requirements, whilst also meeting the needs of the wider precinct”.

“Consideration will now be given to a modest enhancement of the existing facility, which will mean AFL and cricket are not displaced,” the plan said.

That was much to the delight of the Queensland Cricketers’ Club, which has called the Gabba home since 1959.

“Developing more housing and entertainment options will create a Gabba community that is vibrant and attractive to tourists and locals, regardless of whether there is a cricket or AFL match on,” QCC chief executive Lachlan Furnell said.

The PDA has been split into five precincts – Woolloongabba Core, Logan Road, Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba North and Mater Hill.

The two sites allowing for 75 storeys were both within the Woolloongabba Core precinct. One, where the proposed Station Square development would be built, and the other at the corner of Vulture and Leopard streets, near the Cross River Rail station site.

Also near the station would be a new “Central Park”, opposite the Gabba.

State Development Minister Grace Grace said the priority for the PDA was to increase housing supply, while limiting urban sprawl.

“We have an unparalleled opportunity to build on the new public transport services and elevate Woolloongabba into a vibrant inner-city community,” she said.

“...We want to unlock the potential of underutilised inner-city urban land through state-led urban renewal – serving as a southern gateway to Brisbane’s city centre, while supporting job creation, housing growth and new open space.

“At the heart of this is access to high-frequency underground train stations, better access to high-frequency bus services, and the freedom for residents to travel to the city or South Bank without the need for a car.”

An expanded park at Jurgens Street, Woolloongabba.Credit: Queensland Government

Under the plan, there would be a requirement for 20 per cent affordable or social housing.

The government-owned Queensland Investment Corporation owns the development rights to the land above the new Cross River Rail stations, including the one at Woolloongabba.

“We’re aiming to leverage the scale of the surrounding precinct and public transport connectivity to deliver a combination of residential, commercial, hospitality and green spaces through a renewed neighbourhood model for inner-city lifestyle, thoughtfully acknowledging its surroundings and celebrating First Nations culture,” a spokesperson said on Wednesday, before the release of the proposed PDA.

The plan also allows for the continuation of East Brisbane State School at its current site.

“[The plan] provides sensitive interfaces to the East Brisbane State School and uplifts pedestrian safety and continuity to this much-loved community asset,” the plan said.

In an answer to an opposition question on notice on Wednesday, Education Minister Di Farmer revealed the state had spent $2.77 million – excluding GST – on the school’s abandoned relocation to Coorparoo.

The public has until June 14 to provide feedback. The PDA was expected to be finalised in September – a month before the state election.