Publican Plots Illuminated Highrise at Kangaroo Point

A Brisbane publican has launching plans for a hotel and residential complex facing the city’s famed Story Bridge, “ideally positioned” to capture 2032 Olympics travellers. 

The development, which would feature illuminated artwork across its facade, is being proposed by Grant Park Holdings.

ASIC lists as sole director Richard Deery, a fifth-generation publican, president of the Queensland Hotels Association and the owner of the Story Bridge Hotel, which has been in the Deery family since 1967.

Amalgamated from five lots, the 2600sq m development site at the corner of Bright Street and 215-229 Main Street is designated as a high-density residential zone.

It is opposite the heritage-listed Story Bridge Hotel, which has been in operation since 1886.

The site, 4km from the Brisbane CBD, is 1km from the new Albert Street Railway station due to open in early 2026.

▲ A rendering of the proposal—the 18 and 8-storey towers would share a podium under the plans.

Deery wants to build up to 18 storeys for the southern tower and 8 storeys for the northern tower above a shared podium.

The assessment report submitted to the Brisbane City Council outlines 41 hotel suites and 29 apartments of between three or four bedrooms in the slender southern tower designed by WallaceBrice Architecture.

Short-term accommodation uses in the podium would be supported by a cafe at ground level, and supply visitor accommodation “at an iconic inner City location in support of the upcoming Olympic Games,” according to the report.

The project also includes an illuminated art installation, with “sculptural elements” to “enhance the sense of place and for the cultural enrichment of the site” with artwork from Illuminart. 

The illuminated artwork would be influenced by real-time local environmental inputs such as tides, river movement, humidity, wind and sky colour.

▲ A rendering of the landscaping and rooftop amenity of the project designed by WallaceBrice Architecture.

While the site does not front the Brisbane River, it has views between existing towers towards the city and the Story Bridge, and responds to growing demand for larger scale homes in the inner city, the application said. 

According to the material change of use report, the project would “create a high-quality landmark development” on a site “currently significantly underdeveloped for its location”.

The site is vacant aside from a three-storey apartment block, which would be demolished to make way for the development.

With Brisbane’s population to grow to 1.55 million in 2041 from 1.26 million in 202, there is ongoing demand for housing, the report said, and the scheme would contribute to Queensland’s “substantially increased” housing targets.

Several other highrise apartment developments are in the works nearby, and Deery’s site is one of the few remaining undeveloped sites on the Kangaroo Point peninsula. 

Mosaic broke ground earlier this year on its $310-million Kangaroo Point tower, while Aria was greenlit earlier in the year for its 31-storey Canopy House as Verso is looks to upscale its Shafston House adaptive reuse plans.