The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinarsUrbanity
Industry Excellence
Urban Leader
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
Urban Leader Awards Logos RGB White
NOMINATIONS CLOSE SEPTEMBER 12 RECOGNISING THE INDIVIDUALS BEHIND THE PROJECTS
NOMINATIONS CLOSING SEPTEMBER 12 URBAN LEADER AWARDS
LEARN MOREDETAILS
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
ADVERTISEMENT
SHARE
5
print
Print
OtherPhil BartschFri 14 Jul 23

Wotif Co-Founder’s New Venture in ‘Permanent’ Accommodation

Wotif Paddington DA render

Co-founder of the Brisbane start-up Wotif that became an online travel booking giant, Andrew Brice, is venturing into providing accommodation of a more permanent kind.

The entrepreneur and philanthropist is behind plans for a townhouse development in his hometown’s inner-city suburb of Paddington.

Dubbed the Paddington Printery, the proposal comprises 12 three to four-bedroom double-storey townhouses with communal courtyards.

It is earmarked for a 2165sq m site at 31 Stevenson Street occupied by a complex of office-warehouse buildings, which have been home to a printing company, acting academy and other businesses.

Property records showed that Highline Properties—an entity linked to Brice—acquired the infill site in December 2018 for $3.35 million.

Planning documents supporting the development application said the existing industrial buildings were in “a state of disrepair” and all but one would be demolished to make way for the residential development.

A pre-1947 building—protected under a traditional building character overlay—would be preserved, revitalised and adaptively reused to accommodate two of the townhouses.

“The proposed development presents an exciting opportunity to revitalise the site which is characterised by large bulky run-down industrial buildings with blank facades and limited setbacks … and transform it into a character development in keeping with the nature of the surrounding area,” a planning assessment report said.

1 of 4


It deemed the proposal would not only provide “an exemplar residential design that is well articulated in the streetscape” but also “additional housing choice and variety within an inner-city suburb of Brisbane”.

“This housing will aid in addressing the growing demand for housing choice which Brisbane currently faces,” the report said.

Designed by Myers Ellyett Architects, the townhouse scheme—fronting Stevenson and Herbert streets—also would feature extensive landscaping and walkways with communal open spaces making up 24.2 per cent of the site.

Garden seating, a barbecue and dining area, lounge beds and a large swimming pool are to be integrated into the recreational space.

“The development has been designed to take advantage of Brisbane’s subtropical climate through balconies, private open space and generous communal courtyard spaces,” the application said.

1 of 4


It noted that following a pre-lodgement meeting with the Brisbane City Council, the proposal had been refined to incorporate lightweight materials, pitched roofs and balconies addressing Stevenson Street to “reduce the appearance of building bulk and align with the traditional built forms of low-medium dwellings found within this local character area”.

“It also presents a building form and roof height which contributes positively to the rhythm of Stevenson Street.”

Brice was working as an accountant in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley in 1999 when IT entrepreneur Graeme Wood walked into his office with an idea for a website where accommodation providers could list unused rooms at discount prices.

Together, they established Wotif and pocketed a fortune after a $703-million takeover in 2014 by US-listed global travel juggernaut Expedia.

ResidentialBrisbaneAustraliaPlanningArchitecturePlanningSector
AUTHOR
Phil Bartsch
The Urban Developer - Writer
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
Woolloongabba Precinct Vulture St
Exclusive

Brisbane Developer in Cross River Rail Compensation Tussle

Clare Burnett
4 Min
The Mondrian Gold Coast hotel's food and beverage is driving profits
Exclusive

Touch, Taste, Theatre: What’s Driving Mondrian’s Success

Renee McKeown
6 Min
Fortis’ display suites are designed as brand environments first, with tactile details and curated design to build buyer confidence before project specifics.
Exclusive

Relevant or Redundant: Will Tech Kill Display Suites?

Vanessa Croll
7 Min
Exclusive

Missing Heart: Why The Gold Coast Needs a CBD

Phil Bartsch
7 Min
View All >
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
South Melbourne social housing precinct
Affordable & Social Housing

South Melbourne Housing Precinct Revamp Takes Next Step

Leon Della Bosca
The Dorcas Street project replaces demolished walk-ups with 131 modern apartments, the first step in a multi-stage redev…
LATEST
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
3 Min
South Melbourne social housing precinct
Affordable & Social Housing

South Melbourne Housing Precinct Revamp Takes Next Step

Leon Della Bosca
2 Min
Aerial view of Caboolture and Bruce highway to Brisbane with Bribie Island Road crossing, Queensland, Australia
Policy

Queensland’s $2bn Push Opens New Housing Front

Vanessa Croll
2 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/wotif-co-founder-s-new-venture-in-permanent-accommodation