New plan for riverfront block sees fewer units, more gardens

Brisbane City Council has been asked to approve the latest in a series of plans for a residential development on a 12,500-square-metre block in West End.

The previous owner of 117 Victoria Street, the Crown Group, wanted 12-storey towers across most of the site, initially with 446 apartments, and then 473. Despite local opposition amid concerns about traffic congestion, council approved the plans.

But earlier this year, Crown sold the site for $63.5 million – having purchased it six years earlier for $35 million – to Traders in Purple, which has now told council it plans to follow through with a development of its own.

New plans have been lodged for a 12,500-square-metre site on the Brisbane River at West End.

Consultants for the new owners have told council their plans “address the land contamination constraints of the site and balance current construction challenges in order to deliver a viable residential outcome”.

Documents submitted to council show the new owners have significantly scaled back the development, even though recent council planning amendments would have allowed for much taller towers to meet housing demand in areas well-serviced by public transport.

Under the latest proposal, there would only be two 12-storey towers, with 164 apartments in total, and a separate two-storey block of luxury terrace homes fronting council’s riverside park.

Under the latest plans for the West End site, the development would not be as high on the riverfront side, nor as deep, as previously approved.

The development would include extensive gardens on several corners, a communal space in the centre, and laneways linked to the towers through a podium incorporated into their 12-storey height.

Scaling back the number of towers and apartments enables the new owners to argue there is “reduced traffic generation, compared to the previous [approved plans], which will place less pressure upon that Victoria Street and Montague Road intersection”.

Fewer apartments also means fewer parking spots, which the new owners would seek to accommodate “within a partial basement and within the podium”.

“The location of the proposed car parking is based on the applicant’s need to minimise the disturbance to, and balance the works and costs associated with, the contamination identified over the site,” council has been told.

“The podium car parking levels will be wholly sleeved by the town homes and residential foyers, which provide activation and engagement with the street.”

The Crown Group has experienced internal power struggles and financial dramas, and was ultimately forced to relinquish the West End site.

Traders in Purple is an established development company with projects across Australia, including several residential developments in south-east Queensland.

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