Billionaire’s Historic Boot Factory Highrise Greenlit

Billionaire John Van Lieshout’s Unison Projects has been given the green light for a 14-storey apartment tower on the site of a heritage-listed inner-city Brisbane former boot factory. It will comprise 46 three and four-bedroom units across 12 levels capped by a rooftop recreational terrace. The amalgamated Newstead site spanning 2428sq m at 8 and 14 Maud Street was acquired for a total of $9.11 million. Under the approved plans, the 1889-built Goldsworthy and Perkin’s Boot Factory—also known as the Federal Boot Factory—will be refurbished and repurposed. It will be adaptively reused to provide 987sq m of commercial tenancies catering to a variety of uses, including office, function facility, indoor sport and recreation, healthcare, service industry as well as food and beverage. Unison’s plans have undergone several changes since it put its foot on its initial 1821sq m holding at 14 Maud Street in 2020 with an approval in place for a 52-apartment tower. Twice its proposal was scaled back before revised plans were filed this year , adding two storeys and 11 apartments. In June, 2022, the plans were pared back to 41 apartments across a 10-storey tower and a cantilever over the historic boot factory removed. Subsequently, last year the number of apartments was further reduced to 34 and communal open space more than doubled and relocated to the rooftop. ▲ Renders of the proposed tower development next to the old boot factory at Newstead in Brisbane. In January, the plans were upscaled further to 45 apartments—made up of 23 three-bedroom and 22 four-bedroom apartments—across 12-storeys plus the rooftop recreational terrace. The amendment followed Unison’s acquisition of a neighbouring 607sq m site at 8 Maid Street. And last month another iteration of the Ellivo Architects-designed residential-led mixed-use development was submitted. It included the removal of three planned built-to-boundary units on the western portion of the site but the addition of an extra tower floor—taking the apartment yield to 46, including 22 three-bedroom and 24 four-bedroom units. “The fundamental design and operational aspects of the proposal remain unchanged,” the documents said. “The proposed development continues to provide a high-quality mixed-use residential-led outcome … that maintains the scale and open setting of the area and the prominence of natural and heritage landmark.” Rooftop communal recreational space crowning the adjoining tower will span 440sq m, including a swimming pool, outdoor cooking and dining area, yoga lawn, arbour and landscaped seating and lounge areas. ▲ The former Goldsworthy and Perkin’s Boot Factory—also known as the Federal Boot Factory. Image: Brisbane City Council. Within the ground and mezzanine levels, 454sq m of “enterprise mixed-use” space will cater for showroom, office, low-impact industry, service industry, and research and technology uses. “The inclusion of these land uses will encourage industrial and business economic activity in a key inner-city location,” a planning report said. Parking will be provided for 107 cars and 46 bicycles, mostly across the two basement levels. Meanwhile, plans have been filed by Van Lieshout for a 3300sq m large format retail showroom on Brisbane’s southside. It is earmarked for the front portion of a 12,700sq m site at 540 Kessels Road, MacGregor—about 11km south of the Brisbane CBD. The documents indicate the proposed showroom would be occupied by Super A-Mart, the discount furniture retail chain founded by Van Lieshout in 1970. He sold it in 2006 for $500 million and moved into property development and his net worth was this year listed as $2.72 billion. Three existing buildings on the MacGregor site, which is owned by Van Lieshout, would be demolished to make way for the new showroom. ▲ Renders of the proposed large format retail showroom at MacGregor. Last month Van Lieshout’s Unison Projects gained the green light for a mixed-use project designed as a s tepped collection of ‘towerettes’ at inner-city Brisbane’s West End. The approved plans comprise 103 apartments rising up to 18 storeys above an inverted podium. To be known as Bank and Mollison, the Rothelowman-designed scheme is earmarked for a 2074sq m site spanning four lots at 15-17 Mollison and 35-39 Bank streets.

Billionaire’s Historic Boot Factory Highrise Greenlit

Get the full story.

Architect’s Resurrection of Ararat Shoptop Points Way to Regional Reinvigoration

Replacement Cost Realities Spark Regional Hotel Renaissance

The Great Densification: Zoning Alone Won’t Fix Housing Crisis

Prefab, Modular, Ready-to-Go: Construction Innovation Evolves

High-Stakes Bid to Shape Adelaide’s Next Urban Precinct

Melbourne Long Lunch | Panel discussion with Tim Price, Jeremy McLeod, Katya Crema & Anne Michaels

A fireside chat with Troy Daffy | Managing Director, Silverstone Developments

Brisbane Long Lunch | Panel discussion with Rob Comiskey, Frank Licastro, Steve Laffey & Alexandra Stuart-Robertson

Sydney Long Lunch | Panel discussion with Jamie Durie, Jennifer Macquarie & Michael Romano

Pool Resort Proposal Floated for SA’s Kangaroo Island

Mosman Supersite: Policy Play Drives 103-Home Proposal

Fortis Wins State Backing for Bronte Apartment Scheme

Cantilever Skyscraper Revealed for Brisbane’s Victory Hotel

2026 Developer Outlook Lunch | Melbourne

2026 Developer Outlook Lunch | Brisbane

2026 Developer Outlook Lunch | Sydney