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Redevelopment of 200 Turbot Street Secures Conditional Agreement with Mirvac

The proposed redevelopment of 200 Turbot Street in Brisbane CBD, formerly rented out to The University of Queensland Dental School, has made a conditional agreement with Mirvac to secure a leasing pre-commitment for the new commercial high-rise.

With the conditional agreement in place, Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development Steven Miles said that the $670 million project is now one step closer to the goal and will help the state’s economic recovery post-COVID.

“The major redevelopment is estimated to support about 360 jobs per year over a proposed three-year construction phase,” Mr Miles said. “Redevelopment of the site is conditional on Mirvac securing arrangements that will ensure the site becomes a vital part of Queensland’s commercial sector and stimulates construction activity.”

Brett Draffen, the Chief Investment Officer of Mirvac, said that 200 Turbot Street will become a world-class workplace precinct that will “attract a high calibre of tenants.”

“The building will also benefit from significant government investment in local infrastructure including Cross River Rail, Brisbane Metro and Brisbane Live,” Ms. Draffen added.

“We look forward to working with the Queensland Government, Brisbane City Council and our future occupants to co-create a next generation workplace that responds to the needs of a post-COVID-19 workforce and enhances the Brisbane CBD.”

The site is next to the heritage-listed building of the former Brisbane Dental Hospital. The State Government expects that the redevelopment of 200 Turbot Street will also boost options for the lease renewal of its neighbouring building.

High Rise Synagogue Tower to Revamp Mary Street Precinct in CBD

Plans to develop a 46-level high rise above the heritage-listed Brisbane Synagogue on Mary Street in the inner city has been lodged with Council following more than a year of talks between The Brisbane Hebrew Congregation and the developers of Bellevue Terrace Properties.

Once approved, the development (DA A005637201) will see through the construction of the new building on 25 Mary Street. It will have 42 levels of semi-public, co-working spaces and 242 car parking spaces. The upper floors will be open for tenancy whilst the top two levels will include two four-bedroom penthouses, which developers say will be a “luxury housing stock.”

The remaining lower levels will integrate the heritage-listed religious site as a multiple-storey podium with ancillary facilities like the congregation’s offices, function space for worshippers, a kosher kitchen and an indoor recreational area for children. The rest of the spaces will be open for retail tenancies.

Photo Credit: PD Online/Brisbane City Council

“The design of the proposal places a significant focus on the original setting of the existing heritage building and seeks to provide a cohesive and beneficial outcome for the future use of the place of worship,” the developers stated in the application.

The Brisbane Synagogue was built in 1885 and the developers said that it will be protected. However, an application for a heritage exemption certificate was also filed to allow the project to partially demolish structures of the building that were built in 1955 and 1990.

The plans include creating pedestrian access from Mary Street to Margaret Street, where the synagogue stands.

“The proposal seeks to provide high quality ‘next generation’ commercial office space that will support the day-to-day needs of future occupants and visitors whilst celebrating Brisbane’s significant heritage values in an integrated and cohesive fashion,” Urbis said.

“Importantly, the proposal will also provide facilities to support the ongoing operation of the Synagogue, to protect, and sustain its use for many generations to come.”

It comes as several major projects in the coming years will turn Mary Street into a significant connecting link for pedestrians traversing the CBD to get to the Queen’s Wharf, the Cross River Rail station on Albert Street and the proposed Waterfront Brisbane on Eagle Street.

CityLink Cycleway Trial: Victoria Bridge to Close this January

Commuters within the inner city should start planning out new routes if they are used to taking Victoria Bridge as this area between William Street and Grey Street will be closed for two months beginning 24 Jan 2021 due to the CityLink Cycleway project.

Construction to convert the kerbside traffic lanes into two-way bikeways on Victoria Bridge, Melbourne Street and parts of William and Stanley Streets will start on the said date.

Work will also include the widening of footpaths, the addition of kerb ramps and build-outs, as well as the improvement of traffic markings and signages that will make the intersections safer for cyclists.

The closure of Victoria Bridge will also facilitate work and improvements of the Brisbane Metro project, alongside the CityLink Cycleway trial.

According to the Council, the closure of Victoria Bridge is projected to take two months. During the construction, at least 28 motorcycle parking spaces on William Street and two coach parking zones on Stanley Street will be removed.

For questions about this project, phone the project team at 1800 884 681 (business hours) and 07 3403 8888 (after hours), or email the CityLink Cycleway Trial City Projects Office at bikewayprojects@brisbane.qld.gov.au.

Party Over for The Stock Exchange Hotel as The Riversdale Group Announces Closure

Eight years after The Riversdale Group relaunched The Stock Exchange Hotel, the company announced it will be closing the iconic site in December. Its popular Sundays at Stockies, however, will be moving to a bigger location but the details are still under wraps.

The Riversdale Group didn’t provide a specific reason for the closure but workers on site relayed that the COVID-19 restrictions have had a huge impact on its operations. Whilst the restrictions were relaxed in recent weeks, it was too late to save the hotel.

Around 30 staff will lose their jobs at an unfortunate time, with Christmas just around the corner.

“The Riversdale Group would like to take this opportunity to thank our valued customers, suppliers and contractors who have supported us over the years. We are especially proud of the experience our dedicated team has always delivered to our guests,” the management said in a statement.

“A huge thank you to our loyal staff who stayed with us during lockdowns and restrictions—your hard work and dedication is beyond measure and we are truly grateful for all your efforts in keeping The Stock Exchange Hotel trading in 2020.”

The Stock Exchange Hotel was established in 1863 at the heart of the inner-city and amidst the high-rises. The Riversdale Group refurbished the property to create a rooftop beer garden, which provided the most enjoyable atmosphere for drinks after work.

The site of countless Brisbane events, The Stock Exchange Hotel has always catered to different clientele, locals or visitors.

“My first club was the Stocky in 1987 and we partied there every Saturday night for years. The stocky = Bloody great memories,” Joanne Rees shared on Facebook.

“This was my old stomping ground for about 5 years, because I worked in the building beside the Victory across the road. Had a lot of big lunches & big nights at The Stock Exchange,” relayed Karen Kriesch.

Relieve your memories at the Stocky one last time and visit the site before it closes on 13 Dec 2020.

Little Red Dumpling Moves Downstairs to Pancake Manor’s Iconic Site

Can’t get enough of Asian dumplings? Soon, you’ll get your fill of these delicious bites from the thriving Asian eatery, Little Red Dumpling, which is set to open its 10th location in Brisbane CBD.

Little Red Dumpling is moving into the downstairs section of the iconic red building of the 41-year-old restaurant, Pancake Manor, on Charlotte Street.

The plans are all set for the Asian eatery’s development, through Sydney architects The Calabur, after the owners secured a long-term tenancy in the heritage-listed site.

Little Red Dumpling at the Pancake Manor could begin trading early next year.

The Asian eatery is famous for its handmade sweet and savoury dumpling varieties, braised beef noodle soup and cumin lamb ribs. Its potato custard buns, the newest addition on the menu, is also fast becoming a crowd favourite.

Every food choice washes down well with a bottle of ice-cold Tsingtaos and it’s how the elders in Guangdong enjoy their meals — sipping beer and consuming homemade dumplings.

Little Red Dumpling has outlets in Carseldine, Coomera, Cannon Hill, Maroochydore, Newmarket, Sunnybank Hills, Springwood, Toombul, Victoria Point and West End.

For updates on the CBD store’s progress and opening, follow the restaurant’s Facebook page.

“My wife and I had an enjoyable lunch here. We ordered the Pork Chive dumplings, Pan-Fried Pork dumplings and Xiao Long Bao dumplings, all were delicious and reasonably priced. The restaurant has a nice and clean contemporary interior and service is good. We’ll definitely be returning.”
jghoo, Tripadvisor

“Staff were very nice. Loved the food. Wontons in red chilli were great. As were lamb and coriander dumplings and pork dumplings. Definitely go again.”
Lyndal, The Fork

“Small in stature but nice friendly staff, love all the different dumpings that came out in the banquet menu selection. The desert especially the green tea ice cream was delightful, prices were good as well.”
Peter G, The Fork

High-Rise Development Sparked Protest Amid Concerns About “Over-Development” in Kangaroo Point

Photo credit: Brisbane City Council / pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au

Residents protest over a proposed high-rise development on Lambert St, which raised concerns about over-development in Kangaroo Point.

The proposed 15-storey development has sparked a protest on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 as dozens of protesters, along with Member for South Brisbane Jackie Trad, expressed their opposition to the proposed skyscraper.

THE PLAN

A three-tower, 10-storey development, 200-unit on 108 Lambert St was approved by the council in July 2020. The developers, however, submitted an updated application in early September seeking an additional five storeys and additional 100 units to “align the proposed development with the current neighbourhood plan and the associated community expectations.”

Ms Trad said that she objected to the neighbourhood plan that allowed buildings of up to 15-storeys to be built in the area. Under the Kangaroo Point Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan — an amendment that was incorporated into the Brisbane City Plan 2014 last February 2020 — developments of up to 15 storeys high are allowed.

Protesters described the proposed development as a “vertical cruise ship,” that would destroy their quality of life and their amenity. They slammed the development stating that it will increase noise and air pollution in the area, as well traffic congestion.

“The revised proposal presents stronger grounds for concern due to its scale and is completely incongruous with Brisbane City Council’s declared goal to secure and enhance Brisbane’s ‘clean and green’ credentials / reputation. Continuing to allow such high-density and environmentally insensitive developments in our city is not in our community’s short or long-term interest or in touch with our expectations.” – submission 14/10/2020

“The 3 pre-1911 homes on Lambert St should not be moved to other locations. They should be valued and treated like the historic homes on the corner of Cairns St and Lambert Streets which add to a sense of community and heritage history for the area.” submission 13/10/2020

“The reason we object to the development is the additional levels on the property will impact the sun-shadow places on the surrounding properties. This impacts the temperature and natural light on the existing buildings. This affects peoples [sic] mental health if they do not receive natural sunlight.” submission 11/10/2020

Joey’s Prepares to Open at Kangaroo Point Cliffs Site with 120 Seats

The iconic Kangaroo Point cliffs site will soon be the home of a new restaurant after more than six months of inactivity. Joey’s will move in and welcome diners by October as builders complete the fit-out and finishing touches.

Joey’s will mainly serve modern Australian cuisine but there will also be wood-fired pizza choices on the menu. The venue boasts of 120-seats but the details of its safety procedures amid COVID-19 have yet to unveiled.

This cliff site’s new operator is the popular coffee roaster Bellissimo Coffee, which has four successful stores around Brisbane and Moreton Bay — Fortitude Valley, Bulimba, Coorparoo and Petrie.

The operator’s Coorparoo kitchen will be helping out the Kangaroo Points site once it starts receiving business.

Photo Credit: Bellissimo Coffee/Facebook

Bellissimo director Mark Bignell said that Joey’s opening has had delays due to consent requirements from the State Government. The company was able to secure the lease to the property on the 1st of May 2020, or three months after the lease expired in February.

Since then, however, the Kangaroo Point Cliffs site underwent maintenance works and building upgrades, under the direction of the Council, to prepare the site for the new operators.

Despite the challenges of opening a new restaurant in this pandemic crisis, a Council spokesperson said that people are looking forward to Joey’s opening.

The news comes as the Virzi family said that they might have avoided an undesirable situation after losing hold of the Kangaroo Point cliffs site’s lease in a surprising Council decision early this year. The Virzis ran Bar Spritz on this iconic venue for two years but they were informed that a new operator will be taking over.

Seven companies submitted their intent to operate at the venue but the Council awarded the tender to Bellissimo Coffee, as the company came highly recommended.

Protests Impact One Fish Two Fish Weekend Trading; Owners Told ‘Go After Council’

Kangaroo Point’s One Fish Two Fish has had irregular weekend tradings amid the protest rallies on Main Street. Owners Daniel and Amelia Miletic said that these rallies are affecting their sales when they also had to adjust their operations after 12 weeks of strict COVID-19 lockdown.

The Miletic couple said that whilst they understand the plight of asylum seekers, the activists’ rallies have not resolved anything since it started a few months ago. Instead, activists fighting against the “imprisonment” of asylum seekers in the CBD are blocking roads and causing anguish among residents and businesses.

One Fish Two Fish has had to close shop when there’s an on-going mass action for the safety of their diners and workers. The restaurant has only been in business since February 2019.

“One Fish Two Fish was built to provide a spot for feeding the family during the week and drinking like a fish on the weekend,” the restaurant said in a statement. “We pride ourselves on joyful interactions with fresh food & good booze and hospitality that makes you feel that you’ve entered our Queenslander home.”

“We don’t feel that whilst the protests – which have escalated week on week – are taking place on Main Street that we can provide our customers with an enjoyable experience and our staff with a safe workplace.”

Photo Credit: One Fish Two Fish/Facebook

Mr and Mrs Miletic are seeking compensation for their losses and emailed Greens councillor Jonathan Sri, who has been organising the protests. The restauranteurs asked Sri to communicate with them on the planned mass gatherings so that they could better address customers’ bookings and their trading hours ahead of time.

But the Gabba councillor suggested that they should “go after council or the police” for their grievances, confusing Mrs Miletic since he is part of the council. Mr Sri also posted a video following a rally on 19 July to imply that the police have chosen to keep Main St blocked despite the end of their protest.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Sri, Councillor for The Gabba/Facebook

Meanwhile, Mr Sri and his group were supposed to hold another rally around Story Bridge last 8 Aug 2020 but this was postponed to next weekend due to fears of potential violent action from the police. Later that night, the councillor posted that he was arrested and taken to court the next day.

“The police were seeking orders that I refrain from attending any protests on or around the Story Bridge and that I refrain from encouraging others to attend the protests,” Sri wrote. “The police have my landline number, mobile number and email address, and yet I hadn’t had any contact from them about this particular peaceful assembly until they woke me up at 1:00 a.m. last night.”

“The short notice of the hearing means that I didn’t have time to seek legal representation or even to review the court documents served on me, and it seems like a deliberate attempt to drag me in front of a judge without a lawyer. Given that today’s peaceful assembly had already been postponed, the police had no reason to take me to court this morning other than to tarnish my reputation and waste my time.”

Queen’s Wharf Development On Time and Budget; Visitor Centre Reopens

The $3.6 billion development of Queen’s Wharf is still on time and on budget amidst the pandemic crisis, its developer recently unveiled in a report to investors. The planned world-class leisure, entertainment and tourism site at the Brisbane CBD also reopened its visitor centre to the public on 6 July 2020.

Managed by the Destination Brisbane Consortium (DBC) for the Queensland Government, Queen’s Wharf completed its $1.6 billion financing requirements by the end of June 2020.

“Being able to complete the project financing, particularly in such challenging market conditions, is a fantastic milestone for DBC,’ Nicholas Adkins of Allens, the international commercial law firm, said in a press release.

“We are delighted to have been involved on such a landmark project for the consortium partners and the city of Brisbane and we are very keen to see the consortium’s vision come to life over the next few years as construction is completed.”

Construction of the Queen’s Wharf project started in January 2017 and it’s expected to be completed by 2023. Aside from the resort, hotel and casino facilities, the site will also include residential towers and commercial outlets.

Photo Credit: Queen’s Wharf Brisbane/Facebook

Meanwhile, those keen to check out what will be in store at Queen’s Wharf may drop by the visitor centre on George and Alice Streets. The area has a one-stop interactive section that will take visitors to the development process of the precinct.

Children on a school holiday may also enjoy the Sky Deck’s glass floor area. By 13 July 2020, Pulse Café will start serving meals and drinks to make visits more pleasurable.

See the Centennial LEGO Replica of Brisbane City Hall Now!

A magnificent LEGO replica of the Brisbane City Hall is currently on display at the foyer of the “People’s Place” to mark its 100th year.

The replica, designed by LEGO builder Ben Craig, has over 40,000 LEGO bricks. Mr Craig undertook this monumental project to recreate one of Queensland’s magnificent architectural sites at the request of the Museum of Brisbane.

The professional LEGO designer for The Brick Builder made sure to include all of the aspects and features of the iconic building, such as the copper dome, the clock tower and the viewing space. Also included in the LEGO build are heaps of representations reflecting the stories of some of the most interesting people who have worked at Brisbane City Hall since 1920.

Setting Brisbane City Hall’s Foundation in 1920

Construction of the Brisbane City Hall started in July 1920 in a swampy creekside by the King George Square, after several years of debates among the city officials.

Laying the foundation stone of the Brisbane City Hall
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Work on the building took 10 years to complete at the cost of nearly £1 million. Lord Mayor William Jolly officially opened the City Hall to the public in April 1930.

The building was designed by Bruce Dellit, Peter Kaad, Emil Sodersten and Noel Wilson of the Hall And Prentice architectural firm from New South Wales. At 20 floors, it was once the tallest building in Brisbane.

A treasured heritage-listed site, Brisbane City Hall is where people meet, discuss, converge, celebrate and learn. Among the famous people who have been to Brisbane City Hall were Queen Elizabeth II and The Rolling Stones.

Who Is Ben Craig?

Mr Craig broke the Guinness World Record for completing the largest, inhabitable LEGO Caravan using 288,000 bricks.

Photo Credit: The Brick Builder/Facebook

Mr Craig was featured as the Artist-in-Residence for the Brisbane Airport from 2017 to 2018. The artist conducts regular LEGO workshops for kids, students and adults, and does commission work.

Miranda Hine, the curator of the Museum of Brisbane, said that this is a chance for the public to explore some of the rooms and spaces that are often not open to the public.

The LEGO replica of the Brisbane City Hall will be on display until 30 July 2020.