New hotel and pool over Brisbane River planned in Howard Smith Wharves redesign

A nine-story hotel with a theatre hall and a pool deck extending over the Brisbane River is proposed to transform the popular Howard Smith Wharves, and would serve as a showpiece for the precinct during the 2032 Olympics, its developer says.

Brisbane developer Artemus Group, which specialises in revitalising waterfront precincts, planned to submit its development application to Brisbane City Council on Monday, with cost estimates and a timeline for construction yet to be announced.

Under the proposal, a 77-room hotel with retail space and a theatre hall on the ground floor would replace the Felons Barrel Hall. Bougainvillea House, which is a single-storey event space, would become a two-storey building.

A new proposal for Howard Smith Wharves.

Two new cliff lifts would be built next to the existing facility.

The development application on the flood-prone site was code-assessable, meaning it would not be open to public consultation.

“We believe this next chapter at Howard Smith Wharves will play a central role in the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics,” Artemus founder and director Adam Flaskas said.

A nine-storey boutique hotel with a theatre and music hall and new pool deck have been slated.Credit: Artemus Group

“Brisbane River is our city’s superpower and this development maximises its potential.”

More public spaces including parklands, boardwalks and pathways were also planned.

Project architect Mark Damant said the design incorporated subtropical landscape elements, with rooftop gardens and plant facades.

The wharves were first used by their namesake Captain William Howard Smith, as part of his inter-colonial passenger and freight network in the 1880s. They were then used for cargo until 1960s before the Queensland Water Police used it as a base until the 1980s.

A new proposal for Howard Smith Wharves.Credit: Artemus Group

The revitalisation of the wharves, first floated in 2006, did not come to fruition until 2019. It was at the centre of a political stoush between the state government and Brisbane City Council after former local government minister Paul Lucas ruled against the project in the months after the riverside site was flooded in January 2011.

The subsequent transformation of the 3.4-hectare site has been hailed a success, with Howard Smith Wharves winning the city’s first Better Brisbane Award late last year for making a significant contribution to the “city’s unstoppable momentum”.

Premier Steven Miles said Howard Smith Wharves, the nearby Waterfront Brisbane project, and the new active transport links to be provided by the Kangaroo Point bridge and Albert Street train stations were creating “destination precincts” in Brisbane.

“I think Howard Smith Wharves is a fantastic precinct, I want to see that part of the city continue to develop,” Miles said.

While he would not comment on appropriate heights for proposed buildings, he said the team behind Howard Smith Wharves had done a “fantastic job” so far.

Artemus recently acquired Sydney’s Manly Wharf and the Manly Wharf Hotel at the gateway to the city’s popular northern beaches precinct for $110 million.

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