Plans to develop a 15-storey residential development beside Shafston House, Brisbane’s third oldest heritage home, have become unpopular with Kangaroo Point locals.
The proposal for the revamp, from Burgundy Group Property Development Pty Ltd, was filed in January 2022 (DA A005933994) but has since been met with hundreds of submissions opposing the plans. The application is not subjected to a public notification since the location of Shafston House is code assessable.
However, residents, including members of the Kangaroo Point and Districts Historical Society have filed their comments in the said application. According to Christa Gerard from the heritage group, the 15-storey plan “would dwarf the beautiful historic house and dominate the site.”
Burgundy Group Property Development Pty Ltd bought Shafston House in one of the biggest auctions in late 2020. The group said it will work with Council to restore the heritage-listed property to its former glory.
Apart from the 15-storey residential tower, the developer has detailed future uses for the property:
- Shaftson House proper as a luxury private residence
- Orderlies building as communal recreation facilities
- Wards building for residential dwellings
- Postal Depot building as ancillary space for the residential dwellings in the estate
- Northern riverhomes
- Communal recreation area to the north-west of Shafston House proper
“The proposed development ruins the remarkable and historical property. It is hideous and will overshadow Shafston house. The property should not be zoned for development up to 15 stories. The land is heritage protected but the development makes a mockery of that. For one of the oldest and most significant houses in Brisbane to be developed into apartments is embarrassing,” one submission stated.
“Shaftson House is a much-respected and treasured piece of our colonial history. This development would be a shockingly distasteful and irreversible blight on an important landmark, and sets a precedent for more of our city’s heritage to be crammed away into the recesses between buildings such as the one described in this proposal,” another local said.
On 11 April 2022, the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) notified the developer of a couple of preliminary approvals for Material Change of Use for future Multiple Dwelling on the site of a Heritage Place and Filling and/or Excavation within the Coastal hazard and the waterway corridor overlays.
However, SARA has extended the assessment period for May 2022 for the following requests:
- Building work for a Multiple dwelling on the site of a Heritage place and
- within the Waterway corridor overlay
- Multiple Dwelling on the site of a Heritage Place
- Operational work on the site of a Heritage Place involving changes to
- landscaping or natural features
Earlier, SARA has also notified the developer that it cannot support the future plans for Shafston House as it “does not clearly articulate the intent or relevant impacts of these proposed uses on the significant natural and built elements across the Queensland heritage place.”
