A purpose-built accommodation complex for visiting religious worshippers could soon rise on a vacant corner block in Kangaroo Point, after a development application was lodged with Brisbane’s planning portal.
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The proposal comes from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which already operates its Brisbane Australia Temple directly across the road. The church is seeking approval to develop a three-to-four-storey “temple patron housing facility” on a 1,462-square-metre site at the corner of River Terrace and Llewellyn Street, roughly 1.5 kilometres south-east of the CBD, in a position overlooking the Kangaroo Point cliffs and the Brisbane River.
According to planning documents lodged with Brisbane City (A007017224) and prepared by planning consultants Therefor Group, the facility would operate along lines similar to a monastery, providing dedicated, non-commercial accommodation exclusively for patrons visiting the neighbouring temple.
The complex would include three self-contained apartments and nine rooming accommodation units, alongside shared facilities such as kitchen and dining areas, a reception, meeting rooms, office space, a conference room and a distribution centre. These spaces are described in the application as entirely ancillary to the church’s operations, with no independent commercial function intended.
Basement parking for 23 vehicles, including three visitor bays and one accessible space, would be accessed via a new crossover from Llewellyn Street.
Designed to Complement the Clifftop Setting
The building has been designed by PA Architects and is described in the planning report as well-considered and contextually responsive to its surroundings. Given the sloping nature of the site, the built form steps between three and four storeys, featuring a dark brick and cream facade with recessed balconies. The palette and scale were chosen deliberately to align with the character of Latter-day Saints facilities elsewhere and to complement the adjacent temple.
The planning documents note that the site sits within an established medium-density residential precinct where neighbouring buildings typically range between three and five storeys. The proposal is framed as sitting comfortably within the streetscape, bridging the scale between the larger temple to the south and the residential buildings to the north.
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The church’s temple occupies a 6,800-square-metre site across the road and is a prominent fixture on the Kangaroo Point clifftop. The new facility, if approved, would sit directly opposite the temple on River Terrace, giving visiting worshippers a dedicated place to stay on-site.
Published 23-May-2026
