Developer wants to demolish 90-year-old houses on Brisbane Road in Booval to build medical imaging facility, pharmacy

Plans have been submitted to the council to tear down two houses built in the 1930s to put a medical imaging facility and pharmacy in their place.

A developer has submitted plans to build a medical centre and pharmacy on Brisbane Road in Booval.

A DEVELOPER is seeking approval from the Ipswich council to pull down two old homes believed to have been built in the 1930s in order to build a medical centre and pharmacy in their place.

BNB Development Corporation Pty Ltd has submitted a development application to Ipswich City Council to construct the single-storey facility in Booval with plans for a medical imaging facility.

The proposed development would involve demolishing the two pre-1946 dwellings which sit on the site over 159-161 Brisbane Road, on the corner of Cothill Road.

The development would be built on Brisbane Road on the corner of Cothill Road.

The 6.25 metre high building would accommodate two tenancies with a total gross floor area of 5672 m2.

The two-storey house on the corner of the two roads was previously used as a sleep management business with a carpark already at the back.

“The facade of the building, as it presents to the respective road frontages will incorporate glass so as to maximise casual surveillance opportunities as well as creating visual interest,” the application noted.

“The development south of Brisbane Road is characterised by older, traditionally residential buildings, whilst the built form on the northern side of Brisbane Road is more modern and generally associated with larger scale commercial/retail uses.

“The building will address both street frontages of the site, with pedestrian access being facilitated from both the Brisbane Road frontage and the rear car parking facility.

“Primary vehicular access will be via a crossover adjoining the Cothill Road frontage.

“The proposed access point for the development correlates with the existing access from this frontage. Access for service and emergency vehicles will be facilitated from Cothill Road.”

It is planned to operate from 6.30am-6.30pm Monday to Saturday.

It is proposed to operate the facility from 6.30am-6.30pm Monday to Saturday and increase the number of parking spaces on the site from nine to 21, with an ambulance bay also planned.

A heritage assessment commissioned by the developer found the two houses on the site were likely built during the 1930s due to surviving “traditional construction details” such as timber casement windows, VJ walls and chamferboard cladding and the presence of bay windows.

“In the context of the planning scheme, these two buildings are considered to be character building on the basis that they were constructed prior to 1946,” the application stated.

“The character aspects of the properties located at 159-161 Brisbane Road have been examined and while both buildings were constructed (circa the) 1930s, the degree of integrity in terms of surviving original fabric and character elements is low.

“Both buildings have undergone major structural changes, including replacement of each roof, resulting in the loss to the original proportions and important character details such as the architectural form that defines verandahs along with other timber details and character elements.

“Modifications have compromised the earlier 1930s aesthetic, resulting in a look and feel that is more characteristic of the 1950s.

“The surviving altered dwellings do not represent the typical interwar character nor constitute representative examples of pre-1946 buildings within the Booval area.

“The existing dwellings do not contribute important interwar aesthetics to Brisbane Road and are rudimentary in their design.

“The proposal to remove the dwellings would not remove important character from the area or remove important original building fabric. The buildings are so modified that reinstatement to some early form is not possible; key elements informing the design for any reinstatement are unknown.

The application was signed off by company director Stephen Roderick Bickell.

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.

Originally published as Developer wants to demolish 90-year-old houses on Brisbane Road in Booval to build medical imaging facility, pharmacy