A new demolition DA has been submitted on the old O’Reilly’s Bonded & Free Stores complex in Margaret Street in Brisbane’s CBD.
The buildings were built in 1864 however they are not heritage listed.
The site is owned by mining magnate Sam Chong, who is also developing the Four Points by Sheraton at 103 Mary Street.
The code assessable DA proposes to replace the buildings with a dog off-leash area which has to be seen as a temporary use.
The DA number for this development is (A003775340).
Artist’s impression of proposed dog park.
Opinion
As a Brisbane optimist I find it increasingly frustrating at the lack of creativity of developers who don’t seem to see character where character exists.
One would think that the best outcome for the site is to facade the buildings and to integrate it into a new development to give the future development a unique selling point or design.
A great, recent example of this is Aria’s Austin development in South Brisbane where the facade of a relatively small, modest old brick building of similar nature to this, probably newer is currently being restored and incorporated into the design. More examples of heritage integrated development here.
Not only does it look cool, but it sells. Austin sold very quickly off-the-plan as a result of the trendy new/old design which no doubt played some part in the speed of apartment sales. Credit should be given to this developer for converting this building.
It would have been much easier to simply knock it down but they saw the opportunity to do something out of the box.
I think it is disappointing that the developer of this site doesn’t see this same opportunity.
A new Bonded Stores website has been established to gather support to convince the developers to integrate the buildings into the future development proposal here.
Or you can help by signing the petition here.
5
/5Based on 36 rating(s)
Architectural design
Building amenities
Building greenery (Buildings that breathe)
Public realm / Street activation
Sustainability
By 28 reviewer(s)
Mikhael
The worst part of this scheme is that now the buildings are gone and the dog park has been built, it has been cordened off from the public with a private property sign so no-one can use it. This was clearly a scam and it’s disappointing we have a system that allows such ridiculous and unregulated loopholes to be exploited and there will be no consequences for those who do.
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Kaiser soze
Absolutely knock it down. I has no use at all. Heritage and all that you say?…how many people walk past that building -stop- and admire the heritage status and the building itself….yep…
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Johnny Thunder
They shut it down
They closed it down
They shut it down
They pulled it down.
(Chorus – Street of your town, Go Betweens)
who are the members of the heritage council and who voted which way?
They mention that the site lacked a streetscape as a reason not supporting, which is not a relevant criteria in deciding a heritage value.
The current council and State government is focused purely on economic development, good planning outcomes not being a consideration.
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Brisbane
Genuine heritage buildings certainly add beauty and character to an area, however it is ignorant to think that Brisbane is a ‘beautiful’ old city as it stands. We should be encouraging large scale, beautifully designed developments in South Brisbane especially one’s similar to Aria’s Austin that complement our historical architecture. Southbank is too good of an area to let it fall by the way side. If we allow more development it will revolutionise Brisbane skyline and South Brisbane (and Brisbane itself) will actually have a chance to compete with larger and more advanced world cities like Melbourne.
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Renee
It’s extremely important for Brisbane to retain its heritage character, and if Developer’s can do this the right way then that’s fantastic. However there is a lot of Brisbane, particularly South Brisbane where the ‘character’ cannot be restored and the precinct is slowly degrading. It is extremely important to consistently renew and revive our city in order for it to stay relevant. Development does not only bring housing to a precinct but (done the right way) brings retail, amenity and life to an area that will last over many years. Thinking that a city can just stay stagnant and develop without changes is ludicrous. In order for the city to thrive, for it to be more livable and for it to be a beautiful hub of culture, people and entertainment then development is very necessary!
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Moods
These are not worth preserving. Get off your horses and let time tick on..A new “anything” would sit better on this site. The facade two doors down is worth preserving and is on the list. The old Births Deaths & Marriages building at 501 Ann St is listed as it is an example of Art Deco in Brisbane. Is this really needed with so much Art Deco around Australia – think not. Lets not let the general public dictate what progress happens in the CBD.
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arabrab
Well, what do you expect from a mining magnate and a Newman government???? It’s all worse than the 1980s!!
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blacknganga
Someone here said “Brisbane is not a historic city”! What could this mean? That is a throwaway remark, all places on Earth are historic, regardless of philistine opinions on what constitutes the architectural.
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blacknganga
Ah…so some of you guys WANT these buildings demolished…look what FJMT and Grocon did at 161 Castlereagh St Sydney… industrial era buildings not so dissimilar to these on Margaret St were beautifully incorporated into their 50 story development…just have a look, this could easily be done here, rather than the easy-demolish option.
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DanielRyan
You cannot compare Europe Cities to Brisbane and the need to keep every piece.
Europe cities are centuries old, where also purposely torn down at times, built upon to improve the functionality or land use. A lot of Europe cities where destroyed in the wars and the space left allowed for great buildings that you see today, 60 years on….under the same precedent, these new buildings should be heritage listed….
But yes, not on any local or stage heritage list. Which is surprising with BCC completing an extensive over the top audit over 5 years ago of anything that hinted to be old. I note other buildings i.e pancake parlour and adjacent buildings which are cleaned up, though lifeless, inactive, do not achieve good urban design principals and might be a negative example BCC consider. Even if saved, the subject building façade is all that would remain.
While somewhat old, the subject building probably does not meet the requirements of BCC and good urban design principals, nor enhance the public realm if kept. They would remind us however of a 60 year store, that advertised is business commencement and I don’t think it can be labelled heritage.
The development application is Code Assessable I believe, being in the heart of the CBD and anyone in planning knows what that means.
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