Shayher Group has filed concept plans for a four-tower “urban village” on a riverfront site occupied by one of Brisbane’s oldest homes, in the Queensland capital’s inner-west.
Its redevelopment masterplan is for a $300-million-plus residential-led mixed-use development with towers rising from 30 to 37 storeys, integrated with a subtropical public plaza.
Under the plans, the towers would accommodate a range of uses including multiple homes, serviced apartments, short-term accommodation, vertical retirement living and office tenancies.
“Securing this approval will unlock a key landholding and a vision to deliver a world-class architectural and landscape design for the site,” a planning report said.
The proposal comes almost seven years after the Taiwanese-backed developer acquired the 1.5ha Kings Row office park at 50 McDougall Street, Milton.
Property records show the site—only 2km from the CBD and fronting Coronation Drive and the Brisbane River—changed hands in 2016 for $94.9 million.
It is currently occupied by four office buildings ranging from two to six storeys as well as the two-storey Milton House built in 1853.
The heritage-listed residence, one of the few surviving pre-Separation houses in Brisbane, is to be preserved, adaptively reused and “celebrated” as a focal point of cultural and historical significance in the project.
According to the development application, the proposal “capitalises on the opportunity to deliver a landmark design which will shape the western approach to Milton and the Brisbane CBD”.
“Central to the proposed development is the restoration and renovation of Milton House, currently under works,” the DA said.
“The design of the masterplan has focussed on restoring the original setting of the dwelling.
“The built form of the proposed development, comprising four distinctive towers above an open landscaped plaza, enables the heritage place to be celebrated and appreciated.
“It is a deliberate design strategy to reallocate building mass from the lower, podium, levels to the towers.
“Doing so enables Milton House to enjoy a direct visual connection with the Brisbane River and provides for more than 5000sq m of publicly accessible open space connecting Coronation Drive to McDougall Street and Park Road.”
An 1800sq m “village green” would provide functional green space for the community that creates a highly permeable ground plane that integrates food and drink outlets and shops, landscaped terraces, plazas and pedestrian linkages.
The proposed tower heights exceed that of a still-valid approval over the site dating back to 2012 for four 20-storey buildings but a performance outcome is being sought by the developer.
The planning report said the proposal was seeking to provide “a meaningful and generous contribution to the location and to Brisbane’s community” through improvements to the public realm and community wellbeing, preservation of heritage, provision of housing and creation of sustainable and accessible spaces.
It also noted the site had the potential to accommodate up to eight apartment towers and that the proposal for four towers is “comparatively conservative” and aimed at maximising the space available at ground level.
“The development has the potential to be the catalyst to deliver much needed change in this part of the city,” the DA said.
“The proposal will make a significant contribution to the precinct through the delivery of new pedestrian connections and streetscape upgrades that tie back into the nearby entertainment and retail areas.
“Its exemplary subtropical architecture and the creation of high quality public space is the backbone of the masterplan and represents significant place-based outcomes for the community of Milton.
“[And] It is the collective nature of the key design outcomes of Kings Row that will unlock the value of place and deliver a future-fit precinct that will support the growth of the inner west.”