Council, developer taken to court over plans for a new Brisbane hotel

The owners of Spring Hill hotel Soho Brisbane are taking legal action over plans for a 15-storey hotel that would overlook their establishment, Roma Street Parkland and the CBD.

Soho Corporation and Starville have filed a notice of appeal in the Planning and Environment Court arguing Brisbane City Council was wrong to approve the Wickham Hill development in December.

The 15-storey hotel would include 92 suites.Credit: Rothelowman architects

The hotel, to be built at 309 Wickham Terrace, would include 92 rooms, a rooftop bar, function facility and a restaurant or cafe.

But the owners of the neighbouring Soho argued that the height, scale and form of the new hotel did not suit Spring Hill, would infringe on their land and business, and would cause too much disruption during construction.

While the developer convinced the council the hotel design reflected “the heritage identity of Wickham, drawing inspiration from Athol Place, Craigston and Spring Hill Reservoir”, the companies argued it did “not reinforce the diverse architecture and urban form that characterises Spring Hill”.

The Soho Brisbane hotel.

“[The hotel] does not deliver high-quality subtropical architecture and does not contain adequate landscaping features which are open, engaging and green with shaded spaces and opportunities to interact with the street,” the Soho owners said.

“[It] is not designed to provide a slender tower that is ... designed to maintain the openness of street vistas with adequate spacing between buildings to allow for light penetration, air circulation, views and vistas, and privacy.”

The Soho owners also feared the new hotel’s rooftop terrace could adversely impact their business.

“The approved development exceeds all reasonable community expectations about what could be developed on the land and that is not justified by the street or local context. The proposed development is a poor planning outcome,” they said.

The site for the new hotel is about 200 metres west of the landmark Spring Hill windmill and fronts both Wickham Terrace and Penton Lane. It houses a four-storey, 12-unit apartment building at present.

The current view from the Soho Hotel.Credit: Soho Hotel

Brisbane developer Packhill bought the site in 2021 for $6.5 million. Director John Tauk said Packhill sat on the property for some time before it decided to go forward with plans for a hotel.

Several new hotels have been planned for Brisbane in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.