Aria Lifts Lid on Three-Tower Masterplan for South Brisbane

A proposal that would dramatically alter the South Brisbane skyline, an area already heaving with activity, has been filed. Aria Property Group has now lodged plans for its major masterplan comprising three towers of 23, 38 and 50 storeys in Brisbane’s cultural heartland and the Brisbane City Council’s designated Kurilpa Growth Precinct. The plans replace proposals for an office precinct of three 12-storey buildings for 23-29 Manning Street and 164-190 Melbourne Street and a 17-storey office tower that were filed in 2022. “Since then, we were fortunate enough to pick up additional landholdings in Edmondstone Street, which had other offices and medical schemes on them,” Aria development director Brent Liddell told The Urban Developer. ▲ A render of the towers proposed for 23-25 Manning Street and 164-190 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane. “With these, the now-7300sq-m half-block site provided a unique opportunity to revisit the whole project, in light of the new Kurilpa TLPI and its incentives to provide much-needed residential housing.” You’d be forgiven for thinking that the city south of the Brisbane River was the dominion of Aria already— its fingerprints are all over the area and its headquarters is on Melbourne Street near the West End retail centre. Not content with the impression it has already made on the city, the prolific Brisbane developer has big plans for the site. “Our Urban Forest project lodged six weeks ago [ a Koichi Takada-designed 30-storey scheme for 321 apartments on Merivale and Glenelg streets] was our first lodged under the Kurilpa Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI), but that was a standalone building—and this is a masterplan,” Liddell says. ▲ Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the project exemplifies “tall over sprawl” as the government works to address Brisbane's housing crisis. The Kurilpa TLPI introduced in 2023 allows for greater density and building heights as well as reduced car parking requirements where design and sustainability benchmarks can be delivered. The project design is a collaboration between Aria, architects Richards and Spence and Bates Smart, and initially was conceived as being a little larger—but the Kurilpa TLPI allowed for more creativity. ▲ The South Brisbane project should “feel like part of the neighbourhood”, according to the architects. “We had the opportunity to do four towers, but given the extra height allowance that allowed us to get additional GFA, we have taken the view that three towers work better for the site—so we replaced a tower with a public park.” The towers would sit around the park, and provide 678 apartments in total, a 216-key hotel in the third and largest tower, and car parking for 1078 vehicles. As well as multiple retail and commercial spaces in the building and surrounding laneways, the project includes the refurbishment of on-site heritage buildings. They include Malouf House on Edmondstone Street, where Brisbane author Daid Malouf was raised, and the Art Deco Bond’s Sweet Factory at 164 Melbourne Street, which was built in 1951. ▲ Construction has begun with an initial commitment to build a commercial carpark on the site. “They have some really beautiful facades and we’re retaining both of those buildings in their entirety, we really wanted to give back to the public realm and it’s a positive story keeping them completely intact, whilst having some separation with the laneways,” Liddell says. South Brisbane’s Fish Lane near from the site has garnered a reputation for its food and drink offerings, and the heritage revamps will offer more of the same, incluidng al fresco dining the area is becoming known for. “It’s diagonally opposite our offices and for many years we’ve coveted the opportunity to develop this site in the precinct we’ve been working in ... since our inception,” Liddell says. “Everyone has been learning throughout this process and it’s been in the works a bit longer than we initially thought—but it’s worth the waiting.” You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. Click here to learn more.

Aria Lifts Lid on Three-Tower Masterplan for South Brisbane

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