Former Engine Room Cafe site in Toowoomba CBD hits market through Ray White Commercial

The site housing a former Toowoomba CBD cafe has hit the market, and it presents a major opportunity for inner-city living.

A large CBD site that was home to a popular cafe has hit the market, with its owner and real estate agents suggesting the location was ripe for creating inner-city living opportunities.

Toowoomba businessman Peter Eldridge and his family have listed the former site of the Engine Room Cafe on Railway Street for sale through an expressions of interest campaign via Ray White Commercial.

The 1400 sqm collection of properties opposite the Toowoomba train station includes four tenancies that are all either vacant or sporting month-to-month leases.

The spaces can cater for residential, hospitality, retail and office uses.

The site of the old Engine Room Cafe on Railway Street in Toowoomba City, owned by the Eldridge family, has hit the market through Ray White Commercial.

Lead agent Peter Marks, who is selling it with Brian Doyle, said the opportunity had already collected more than a dozen inquiries since it launched on Friday.

While there was an obvious option to simply lease out the tenancies to businesses, Mr Marks said the site’s size and location within the Railway Parklands priority development area made it a strong candidate for redevelopment.

“Many years ago people suggested it could get knocked down to build a six-storey block — it’s not a bad position, so we’ve sent it out to an array of people,” he said.

“They don’t come up too often at this size, especially with corner blocks.

“It’s got lots of potential, and you need that sized-block of land (to do residential or mixed us) — you need the big lots.”

The site of the old Engine Room Cafe on Railway Street in Toowoomba City, owned by the Eldridge family, has hit the market through Ray White Commercial.

It comes as residential and inner-city unit developments have started ramping up across the CBD.

The Salvation Army has nearly completed a set of social housing dwellings on Snell Street.

Mr Eldridge said he believed the site would suit redevelopment, arguing it was only a matter of time before CBD living become the norm in Toowoomba.

The site of the old Engine Room Cafe on Railway Street in Toowoomba City, owned by the Eldridge family, has hit the market through Ray White Commercial.

“(In a few years) there will be little height restrictions by that time, there will be 1000 people working at the new hospital, so that corridor through there will develop for residential very quickly,” he said.

“It’s happening, it’s starting to happen and I think it will pick up pace — if we can get some movement on the Railway Parklands, it will only push it along faster.

“Personally I hope it’s a redevelopment that suits the land.”