Australasian Property Aims Higher for Bowen Hills BtR

Singaporean-based Australasian Property Group is remixing its plans for a 3572sq m site at Bowen Hills where it plans to build a 31-storey build-to-rent tower. 

The plans filed with Economic Development Queensland comprise 240 apartments, healthcare services, and retail, food and beverage offerings at the base of the building.

The Thomson Adsett-designed tower incorporates an existing 10-storey medical suites building—stage 1 of the superseded plan—and expands upon it through the podium of the new building. 

The previously approved plan was for a 10-storey medical building and a medi-hotel next to its Herston Private Hospital at 7 Wren Street. 

According to Urbis planning documents, the revised plans for the tower are aimed at providing key worker accommodation for the nearby healthcare precinct with provisions for at least 5 per cent affordable housing. 

“The proposed development represents a significant improvement to the design of the public realm compared to the existing situation,” planning documents said. 

“In particular, the proposal will involve the provision of a highly articulated building and an activated and attractive building podium and ground level.”

▲ Open air amenity will be included on the top of the podium and the roof of the 31-storey tower.

The new building would be physically linked to the existing healthcare services and parking station building on site, and would require minor changes to the previously approved layout to facilitate the new development.

The 240 build-to-rent apartments would comprise a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, and at least 10 per cent would be adaptable, according to plans. 

“The proposed development provides build-to-rent apartments in a location, which will be convenient for key workers to reside in,” the report said. 

“The site is [close] ... to the Herston Health Precinct, which has a workforce population of about 13,000 people, many of whom are key workers at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. 

“This represents one of Brisbane’s highest concentrations of employment in a single location.”

About half of the apartments will be either studio or one bedroom, which, according to Urbis’ planning report, would “naturally achieve high levels of affordability” and contribute to affordable housing in the healthcare precinct. 

In the same precinct Fluent Property recently won approval for a mixed-use health project proposed for the expanding Herston hospital precinct. 

The BVN-designed scheme has been created to accommodate a health-anchored 1750sq m net leasable area in the building’s podium, with a mixed-use component above. 

The project sits across 14 Wren Street and 65-67 O’Connell Terrace, and will be built over part of Walden Lane, at Bowen Hills.