An updated development application has been submitted by Henroth Investments Pty Ltd for 281-297 Montague Rd, West End.
The proposal involves the development of two residential towers. The proposed north tower is 19 storeys and the south tower is 17 storeys.
The new design involves the creation of a public amphitheatre area along the Davies Park side of the site with retail planned surrounding the amphitheatre.
According to architects nra-co-lab, the revised design incorporates a rethink to the open space and ground plane opportunities to the West End community.
“The revised design will deliver a vibrant activated public plaza and subtropical landscaped space for the benefit of the local community.”
“The design response incorporates outstanding cross-site links in the form of direct pedestrian/cycle connections from Vulture Street, one of Brisbane’s major thoroughfares, through to the Brisbane River walkway, significantly minimising pedestrian flow disruption.”
The new public plaza space is integrated with an active retail frontage, which connects Montague Road to the centre of Davies Park, Souths Leagues Club and beyond to the Brisbane River.” – nra-co-lab
The new design features a distinct curved landscaped exoskeletal sunshade which wraps around the buildings to create a green façade and runs up the entirety of each building.
These biophilia filters are located at the ends of the open landscaped corridors and provide for the proposed vertical façade greenery. According to nra-co-lab, it is hoped that the greenery acts as fresh air filters providing natural cross ventilation to the open apartments’ walkways.
Updated features of the new design:
- Substantially reduces the site coverage and footprint of the current approved five buildings on the site and frees up the ground plane for public use and benefit.
- Create a triangular parcel of land to the West that could be incorporated at a later date into Davies Park to allow Souths Football Club the opportunity to upgrade the adjacent practice football field from the current ¾ size to a full-size field with a correct North-South axis orientation.
- Create a vibrant new public realm connecting Montague Road to the centre of Davies Park, providing an activated gateway experience to the park and through to the river.
- Reduce the number of buildings currently approved on the site from five to two unique high quality landscaped exemplars.
- Create multiple view corridors through the site to Davies Park from Montague Road, visually opening up the site to more parkland views from Montague Road.
- Provide more open space and visual amenity to the Montague Road frontage.
- Create a better, more open safer and transparent frontage for Davies Park.
- Provide the opportunity to exercise the Montague Road frontage setback to gain the desired public transport and pedestrian widening for the public benefit.
Project Rundown
- Site area: 3,902 m²
- GFA: 46,876m²
- Number of residential apartments: For the north tower there are x76 two bedroom apartments, x95 three bedroom apartments, x12 four bed and penthouse apartments (x183 apartments total). For the south tower there are x30 one bedroom apartments, x73 two bedroom apartments, x43 three bedroom apartments, x20 four bed and penthouse apartments (x166 apartments total). x349 apartments across both towers
- Building height: North tower (x19 levels / RL 76.2m). South Tower (x17 levels / RL 69.4m)
- Retail space: 1,606m²
- Total green space: 3,382 m²
- Public accessible space: 8,135 m²
- Lifts: x3 in the south tower (lift ratio – 1:55). x4 in the north tower (lift ratio – 1:46)
- Communal space: Rooftop recreation planned on both towers which would accommodate infinity pools, gyms, dining, library / cellar, bbq areas and landscaping (3,247 m² in total across both towers)
- Car parking: x465 spaces
- Bicycle parking: x460 spaces
- Developer: Henroth Investments Pty Ltd
- Architect: nra-co-lab
- Town Planner: Urbis
- Sustainability: Landscaped gardens and planters throughout. External landscaped exoskeletal sunshade structure proposed. Provision for a rooftop solar PV system.
Plans
Plans
Tell us what you think about this masterplan below in the comment box. The development application for this project, available to view on Brisbane City Council’s Developmenti online platform is A005608649.
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While the current buzz is all about olympic legacy infrastructure we are failing yet again, to address density issues arising from the approval of large apartment developments in residential/commercial areas. This development is another example of a satisfactory development in so far as it is not ugly and provides some natural amenity to residents of the building, yet there is a paucity of discussion regarding the increased number of people, activity, movement and vehicles in this area as a result of these large residential/commercial structures. Certainly it will be profit making for the developer and the council who will receive greater revenue from the rates, but what about the community that lives in the area, the people dealing with the increased density, the increased number of cars in the surrounding roads and the crowding of nearby recreational areas. On paper these developments make sense, but experientially for the residents, they fail. Where are the opportunities for discussion, review and planning, not about building development applications, but about the plan for a suburb, an area? What is enough development, what is too much, and how is the increased traffic going to be managed? Having lived in Sydney for many years before the olympics, and then after the olympics for years, I experienced first hand suburbs that went from liveable and relatively easy to get around, to crowded, traffic snarled suburbs that were so crowded in parts that it was no longer enjoyable living there.
Very Good, what’s the zoning on this one?
Why does BCC continue to entertain a proposal that does not have local community support, will severely impact traffic congestion on an already overstressed road system and is in no way compliant with existing height levels approved for buildings in this area.
This proposal must not proceed and no amount of pretty green trees or handful of seating is going to make it acceptable to local residents.
Wake up BCC and listen to your community.
Another attempt by the developer to ignore the height restrictions in place by the council. The original plans were approved by the then council. I fail to see why a developer can keep attempting to raise the number of units by redesigning the towers, surely the council must see through this façade?
Many factors for concern other than those already discussed, wind speeds through two large towers, shadowing of fields, the intersection of Vulture and Montague Roads could not possible cope with another development.
Where is all the infrastructure the council promised to deliver for existing developments which the developers paid for? No city cat, no bridges, no proper traffic management, all I see if high rise and more larger schools. No traffic management in place to facilitate parents dropping and collecting students. I see little or no management within this sector at all.
Council serve your citizens properly.
unfortunately that’s another attempt to fit a monstrosity into small overcrowded West End. The buildings look ok-ish (I’d like to see how green they’ll be in 5-10-15 years).
There are huge issues with design:
1. Not enough elevators for 10-12 apartments per floor, 17 floors
2. Only one entry to car park for 400+ residents and retail?
3. Entry to carpark off Montague Rd from city is right turn over double line or you’d have to do a U-turn somewhere further Montague Rd to get back?
4. For retail there’s no loading zones – how trucks are going to deliver anything? same for passenger pickup/dropoff – no loading zones around the building!
5. What’s the flood-proofing of the building? this area got flooded twice in last 12 years, whole area lost power for 2-3 weeks – electricity/substation should be a bit higher… no?
that’s just a few things on the list from the quick look.
reduce the height of the buildings to max 10 floors, fix carpark entry and address floods and it’ll be ok
The only justification for exceeding the limit of 12 storeys by the interstate developer is greed… It’s certainly not to the benefit of the community that an exemption for 20 storeys gets approved here no matter what offsets they propose, a terrible precedent.
This project must go ahead, the design update has fixed all of the issues with the previous proposal in my opinion. There will always be people who oppose development, at the end of the day, we need more high rises. We need hundreds of more skyscrapers built in Brisbane. We are a metropolis and I am sick of people trying to preserve their sleepy peaceful suburbs, you live in a large city! We need more housing! We need to grow right now, no delays. The growth should be done properly I agree, and this updated proposal is an example of a development done correctly. There’s a huge amount of green space, the design is pleasing to the eye, there is provisions for expanding local public transport routes, this is EXACTLY what we need.
Wow! Even the architect drawings are full of shadows… imagine how much worse it will be in reality. Please don’t take away our sunshine.
This architect should try again, and design the buildings to be aligned to height regulations and the neighbourhood plan.
I am an apartment owner and I love apartment living in West End, so I am not against development.
But development needs to be done responsibly taking into account all factors NOT JUST profit!
When the public buy stand alone property they need to abide by council planning and overlays such as heritage and environmental.
It should be no different for large scale developers.
They knew what the height restrictions were when they bought the land. Trying to push this through as anything other than a rort, is unacceptable.
There are some sensible comments in this article, and there’s a lot of local community backlash (as per previous articles.)
Surely there’s a common ground between recognizing the need for more units close to the CBD and local community concerns around over-development and congestion.
Why can’t the developer limit these buildings to 12 storeys now (as per current BCC regulations) but design the buildings to be expandable to 22 storeys for future growth? We know BCC has plans for the West-end riverside: the Kurilpa masterplan indicates more Southbank style riverwalks and City Cat stops, and we know there’s plans for old concrete plant/ milk factory. The recycling factory is already purchased and earmarked for the Olympics broadcasting centre.
Why not hedge your bets and meet current requirements (i.e. 12 storey buildings) whilst encouraging BCC to address infracstructure for the area’s future demands. We all know Brisbane will eventually need 22 storey buildings to accomodate future populations, but we also want gradual building height increases in keeping with a city master plan.
A building that sticks out like a sore thumb serves only the developer and smacks of council corruption: just look at Sydney’s Barangaroo Crown Tower.
Work within the current regulations of 12 storeys. Not interested in anything higher.
Montague
Current restrictions are 12 storeys in West End. Go away and doing something the community will support with 12 storeys. If it doesn’t work, it wasn’t meant to.
Montague Road is already overloaded with traffic and cannot be widened. Parking is at a premium.
Overcrowding creates more mental fatigue. Let’s look after our community.
This looks like garbage! Why is it so tall, don’t we have hight limits in West End? That was rhetorical, yes we do. Which council member/government employee is getting a cushy job for pushy this through?
I don’t understand the logic behind most of the critical comments here. Clearly there is an expression of nimby sentiment about this development.
Let’s face reality – it is the West End. It will undoubtedly grow further and further with demand. If local residents take issue about overcrowding then maybe the solution is to move elsewhere, or embrace it…
Looks beautiful – hope it goes ahead