Metro Property have submitted their latest proposal which will be known as Project Waters, a cluster of towers in the Bowen Hills ULDA area.

The project is to be delivered in seven stages and envisages a new mixed use precinct including up to 1,000 residential apartments with retail and commercial uses to be delivered to the market across 5 to 7 stages. The site is located on a large parcel of land between Gregory Tce, Brunswick St and Water St.

The Stage 1 development comprises the following:

• Site Area (after ROL) : 1403m2
• Apartments – 166: 9043m2
• Soho (5): 425m2
• Retail/commercial: 145m2
• Total GFA: 11,314m2
• Basement/ Level 2 bicycles: 156
• External bicycles: 36
• Outdoor recreation space: 340m2
• Accessible Apartments: 16
• Affordable Apartments: 42 (25%)
• Apartments <60m2: 117
• Apartments 60-100m2: 49

The overall development will comprise of the following:

• 1 tower up to 26 stories
• 1 tower up to 24 stories
• 2 towers up to 16 stories
• 1 tower up to 14 stories
• 1 tower up to 10 stories, and
• 2 buildings up to 6 stories.

Stage 1 of the development will see a large concrete wall exposed until stage 2 is delivered, however Metro plans to make use of the wall by installing temporary artwork.

Designed by Deicke Richards and Bureau Proberts, the project is Metro’s sixth apartment development in the inner city. The project includes a new street which will run through the site from Water Street to Diggles Close.

The site is also home to a key Brisbane heritage building, the drill hall, which is the primary building that makes the site important and is of cultural heritage significance. It is more than 125 years old and was used for military training purposes for approximately 100 years.

For its age and building type it is a relatively rare building, being originally constructed before the passage of the Defence Act in 1884 which re-organised defence in the colony and saw a large number of drill halls being constructed in Brisbane suburbs and across the colony. It is the oldest building of its type known to survive in Queensland.

It is for that reason that the former drill hall will be retained and incorporated into the proposed redevelopment of the site and will help create a sense of place, identity and a distinctive character for the Bowen Hills UDA area. To view the ULDA submission, click here.