Three’s a crowd for Brisbane’s Skyneedle, which is set to be surrounded

One of Brisbane’s most famous landmarks could be further crowded out, with three proposed office towers set to make the search for Expo 88’s beacon like finding a Skyneedle in a haystack.

Developer Aria submitted its plans for three new 12-storey office towers for the South Brisbane block facing Melbourne, Manning and Edmondstone streets, further crowding out the Expo beacon that once dominated the precinct.

Aria plans to build three office towers at South Brisbane.Credit: Brisbane City Council DA

Hairdressing tycoon Stefan Ackerie bought the 88-metre Skyneedle, then called The Night Companion, in 1989 when he got wind of a plan to ship it to Tokyo Disneyland at the conclusion of World Expo 88.

During Expo, the Skyneedle – which is now about 600 metres west of where it was at the time – acted as a beacon, with a rotating beam of light visible from up to about 60 kilometres away.

In 2015, Pradella Group incorporated the sculpture into a 208-unit two-tower residential development. Aria’s proposal would add three more towers to the block.

In its town planning report for Aria, Saunders Havill Group said the ground floor retail and dining operations, incorporating an estimated 500-square-metre park, would take inspiration from New York’s Paley Park and rival James Street at Fortitude Valley.

Aria has proposed a Melbourne Street dining precinct as part of its development application.Credit: Brisbane City Council DA

“The park will be characterised by thoughtful recreation spaces, high-quality subtropical landscaping and richly detailed urban design, and will enjoy a high amount of natural light and air circulation,” the planning report says.

“High-end retail and dining will activate the perimeter of the park and provide casual surveillance, while a network of activated, landscaped arcades will draw pedestrians into the site from Melbourne, Manning and Edmondstone streets. Melbourne and Manning streets will also be highly activated by ground floor retail and dining, similar to that of James Street.

“This unique recreation precinct provides a significant community dividend that can be enjoyed by all.”

All up, the development would add almost 23,000 square metres to Brisbane’s office stock – 7668 square metres in tower one, 10,287 in tower two, and 4994 in tower three.

That additional stock could prove timely.

A Property Council of Australia office market report released in August found demand for Brisbane office space was at its highest level since 2017.

The CBD’s vacancy rate fell from 15.4 per cent in January to 14 per cent in July, while in Brisbane’s inner fringe, the rate fell by 0.6 per cent, from 16.2 per cent in January to 15.6 per cent in July.

And workers were returning to the office, according to the Property Council, with occupancy rising from 57 per cent in August to 70 per cent last month.

“Things are noticeably busier in the city after experiencing dips earlier this year with new COVID waves and the seasonal flu,” the Property Council’s Queensland executive director, Jen Williams, said.

“Hybrid working arrangements are continuing to play a part in our workplace culture, however, this rise shows that people are increasingly seeking out connection and collaboration.

“We are positive this momentum will continue as the weather improves, and this will hopefully translate to a bumper festive season for city centre retailers after a challenging few years.”