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Toowong Village Shopping Centre Site to Get New Lease on Life

Photo credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au

A childcare centre, with indoor sport and recreation area and community use facility, may soon open at Toowong Village Shopping Centre, if development plans are approved.

TTP Management Pty Ltd has lodged a development application seeking to transform the site, which is the former location of Sizzler – Toowong which permanently closed in 2016.

The development plans include the installation of three indoor spaces, three simulated play spaces, a dining area, a kids store, a canteen, an office space, and a reception area.

Proposed childcare center at Toowong Village Shopping Centre — Photo credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au

The new childcare centre at Toowong Village plans to operate from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Meanwhile, the area for indoor sport, recreation, and community use will operate after the childcare centre’s operating hours. The facility may also include 24-hour operations on Saturdays and Sundays.

Interior of childcare centre — Photo credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au

“The development is identified as being consistent with the purpose and overall outcomes of the Centre or mixed-use code and compliant with section A of the Centre or mixed-use code. A Code assessable development application is triggered as the proposed Child care centre is located in the A and B sub-categories of the Transport air quality corridor overlay,” a portion of the development application states.

Play area of childcare centre at Toowong Village Shopping Centre — Photo credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au

“As a result, the development is only assessable against section A of the Major Center zone code and section A, section B and PO2 of the Transport air quality corridor overlay code,” says the planners at Town Planning Alliance.

Recreation area at Toowong Village Shopping Centre — Photo credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au

All construction works will occur indoors and there are no plans to increase the gross floor area of the tenancy or alter the current building footprint.

New Toowong Primary School Location Confirmed

After more than a year of community consultations and site investigations, Perrin Park in Toowong has now been confirmed as the location of Brisbane’s newest primary school.

Read: Perrin Park in Toowong Emerges as Preferred Site for New Primary School

Results of the community consultation process previously indicated that the Perrin Park site, very near the old Toowong Bowls Club, is the local community’s preferred site.

The new school is estimated to cost $90 million and will create around 200 jobs during construction. Expected to provide world-class education facility, the new school will accommodate Prep to Year 6 students.

It will be the first primary school to open in Brisbane’s inner western suburbs in more than 60 years and will be built to ease enrolment pressures off Indooroopilly, Ironside, and Toowong state schools.

The school is part of a $1.2-billion state government initiative which aims to deliver 14 new schools over the next three years.

“The former Toowong Bowls Club site is a great location for an innovative vertical school design that integrates indoor and outdoor spaces, maximising available land to provide capacity for up to 900 students when Stage 1 and 2 are delivered,” said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

“Building upward instead of outward, helps to alleviate the need for large school sites while complementing the surrounding urban environment.,” the Premier added.

Inner West Brisbane map — Inner west map (Photo credit: Department of Education/Queensland Government)

Local Concerns

Some residents have raised concerns over the ecological impact around Perrin Park which has an active flying fox colony. The Department of Education will work with the Commonwealth government to ensure the delivery of the new school does not impact the health of the colony.

After the planning, acquisition, and approval process which is currently in progress, the Education Department will proceed with the final design for the school.

Read: Perrin Park Site Unsuitable for New Primary School, Residents Say

Based on the projected timeline, the new school will open for Term 1 in January 2024. With its opening, it is expected to ease student overpopulation in Indooroopilly State School and Ironside State School.

Heritage-Listed Middenbury House in Toowong May Be Up for Mixed Development

Once the exclusive site for many social gatherings in Brisbane — including a party for Edward, the Prince of Wales, in the 1920s — the heritage-listed Middenbury House may be set for a revival as a public venue for recreation or dining, or even with residential towers on the property.

Consolidated Properties Group (CPG), which bought 600 Coronation Drive several years ago, has now filed DA A005881543, seeking to develop Middenbury House and its grounds.

The heritage-listed house will be reused and re-established, alongside plans to build three 15-storey residential towers on the property. Though the decision on its final use has not been finalised, ideas like a cafe or bar, as well as a wellness center, have been floated during the discussions about the redevelopment.

James McGinley, the CPG Head of Residential, said that they got ideas from the local community who was receptive to their plans to turn the derelict site for public use.

Apart from the residential towers and the old house’s revival, plans for this Coronation Drive site will also include bikeways and a large parkland, which will be managed by Brisbane City Council. There will also be an area prepared for the landing site of the upcoming Toowong-West End green bridge.

Access to the house and the beautiful riverbank frontage as a social venue was withdrawn in the late 1950s when the Commonwealth of Australia bought the property for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Middenbury House then became part of the studio operations, while additional buildings were erected around it.

For the most part, however, the over-150-year-old house’s structure and architectural features remained intact. Its refurbishment, on the other hand, will have minimal alterations since it is a heritage-listed property.

“The proposed development has been architecturally designed to merge seamlessly within the surrounding built form, through the use of a variation of materials and breaks in the façade,” the developers stated in the application. “The site primarily faces Coronation Drive, which features street tree plantings along its entire frontage as well as two large heritage-listed fig trees near the western boundary.

“The state heritage listed Middenbury House can be seen from the Archer Street frontage. This development will enhance the view of Middenbury House by incorporating open space between the building and the street frontage. Deep planting along Archer Street will improve the streetscape by softening the view between Middenbury House and the existing streetscape.”

DA A005881543 was filed in November 2021 and is still under assessment as of press time.

Planned Unit Tower Development Near Toowong Village Divides Residents

Toowong residents are divided over a proposed unit tower development near Toowong Village on Lissner Street following the completion of the public submissions process to support or object to the construction of the 14-storey building.

Some residents oppose the project because the property is under a Medium Density Zone Code, where the maximum building height should be eight storeys. They’ve also argued that the building is actually 15-storeys high because it includes a communal, open space rooftop structure.

“The site and all adjoining properties are subject to a maximum 8 storey building height in accordance with the Toowong—Auchenflower neighbourhood plan code. The proposal includes a building height of 14 to 15 storeys which is out of context with the community expectations for the area,” one resident wrote in the submissions for DA A005790548.

However, a section of the development is near the District Centre Zone, which allows for 20 storeys. Those who support the plan said that the height and density are justified even as the height transition will affect the neighbours on the north side since the shadow of the tower will block their views.

Some also question the density of the project as it will include both residential and commercial tenants, which will raise traffic and parking availability on Lissner and Augustus streets.

“The Toowong Village loading dock is accessed via Lissner Street. This is a busy loading dock and large truck traffic will only increase with the opening of the Woolworths store planned for later this year.”

Mosaic Property Group filed the development application for the residential and commercial tower with at least 100 units in July 2021 following three pre-lodgement meetings with Council. The developer said the project was inspired by the nearby iconic Regatta Hotel with an architecturally impressive podium design.

“The podium design is constructed of breeze blocks with cascading planters,” one supporter said. “The project architects have clearly considered the local character of the area such as the Queenslander homes and iconic Regatta building to inform the podium and overall architectural design which contributes to a sense of place and community pride.”

During the said meetings, Mosaic’s planner said that Council gave merits to the proposal.

“Council agreed that the arguments put forward by the applicant in providing an increased building height that provides a ‘transition’ between the higher and lower building height requirements in the area has merit from an urban design viewpoint,” the DA stated.

As of press time, the development is awaiting Council’s decision.

Coming Soon! New Harris Farm Markets at Aviary Toowong

Photo credit: Aviary Toowong / https://aviarytoowong.com.au

Harris Farm Markets has secured a long-term lease on the $450-million Aviary Toowong project which is slated to commence construction in 2022.

The deal will allow the grocery chain a 2,750-sqm tenancy on the State Development Corporation and White & Partners Sydney project. It will be the grocery chain’s fourth store in Queensland. Its latest store to open is in the Gold Coast, whilst the first two stores are in Clayfield and West End.

Co-chief executive for Harris Farm Markets, Luke Harris, said that the tenancy will allow them to serve more local produce and will generate an additional 80 jobs, on top of the current 300 already employed by the company.

Harris Farm Markets will be complemented by an array of retail, hospitality, cafes, specialty shops, and restaurants, as well as a modern cinema complex. Ross McKinnon, State Development Corporation’s managing director, added that having the grocery store as an anchor tenant serves as a peek into the development’s high-quality offering.

The Aviary Toowong is a mixed-use development on the corner of High Street and Sherwood Road. Soon to rise on the 9,000sqm site is a mix of offerings including 150 residential apartments, retail shops, a 20-storey office tower, as well entertainment, wellness, childcare facilities.

Photo credit: Aviary Toowong / https://aviarytoowong.com.au

About Harris Farm Markets

David & Cathy Harris opened their first shop in Villawood, NSW back in 1971. Today, the family-owned Harris Farm Markets operates its chain of stores in 31 locations spread across New South Wales and Queensland.

Photo credit: Harris_Farm_Markets / harrisfarm.com.au

The grocery store offers fresh produce, deli items, and frozen goods and is recognized as the first supermarket-style Australian retailer of fruits and vegetables. The store also offers what it calls “Imperfect Picks” – a concept that aims to reduce food waste by offering discounts on farm produce that do not meet visual standards.

The Dell on the Move: Last of Oldest Homes in Toowong Up for Relocation

The Dell, one of the last few historical houses by the riverfront in Toowong, will soon move to a new site after years of contemplation on how best to protect its heritage merits. The pre-1911 house along Glenn Road, which has been with the Sapsford family for generations, is now in a high-density residential zone, nudging the owner, Ruth Sapsford, to consider the relocation.

Ms Sapsford, who is part of the Toowong and District Historical Society, has been in talks with Brisbane City Council for some time about moving her family’s homestead, which has now been wedged between two high-rise residential buildings. The move will be facilitated once all the necessary permits and approvals are obtained.

The Dell is the house with red roof, wedged between two residential buildings. Photo Credit: Google Maps

The Dell, built in 1878 on the land originally owned by Australian businessmen and politicians Robert and Benjamin Cribb, has had a number of substantial modifications over the decades so it could not qualify for an official heritage listing status, according to Freya Robertson of the Toowong Residents Group.

Specifically, extensive renovations were done on the property from the 1955 to the 1960s, as well as in 2010, thus changing most of its architectural features. However, Council has granted Ms Sapsord’s request to move the house in a suitable land she bought within Toowong. In late October 2021, a couple of large trees have been cleared and signs have been installed announcing that The Dell has been saved from demolition.

On the riverbank in the back yard of “The Dell”, the home of TDHS president Ruth Sapsford. The Dell, situated in Glen Road, Toowong, was built on land that was once owned by immigrant Robert Cribb and later his brother Benjamin. As well as enjoying the river views the guests also pondered what the views would have been like in the mid-1850s when the Cribbs ancestors purchased this property and others in the area. No rowers practicing their sculling, no ski-boats on the river; no sailing club. Photo Credit: Toowong and District Historical Society

The Dell, first owned by Newman and Jane Sapsford, was constructed as a modest three-bedroom house encapsulated by a verandah on all sites. Its frontside was originally facing the river whilst the backyard was on Glenn Road.

By the late 1800s and throughout the next century, The Dell was extended with more rooms. The house endured more than a dozen of floods in its nearly 130-history.

The relocation comes as a Glenn Road and the adjoining Archer Street has had substantial gentrification in the past few years, forcing the demolition or changes to heaps of character homes in the area. In its place are townhouses, as well as low-rise and high-rise units. Nearby, the old ABC site will be developed as a two-tower residential site whilst Council is also planning to build one of five green Bridges along Archer Street.

Moving The Dell away from these developments was the most viable option for Ms Sapford, who released a book about her family home in October.

“What makes it different is that for over 130 continuous years it has been owned and occupied by different members of four generations of the one family. It has been cared for, enlarged, loved, modernised and adapted for life in the 21st century—moving from gas lighting to wifi. All the time it hoarded its records for posterity.”

Where To Go In Toowong For Sweet And Savoury Treats

Photo credit: Toowong French Patisserie

Whether you feel like having a slice of cake or a more savoury treat like steak and mushroom pie with your morning coffee, Toowong French Patisserie has got you covered, and more! They have treats like Eggs Benedict / Salmon Florentine in a brioche shell, Lamington-inspired macaron, even some French tapas later in the day.

Read: New Aviary Residences High-End Tower Rising in Toowong

Here you’ll find traditionally French croissants with different fillings, Croquembouche in various flavours, breads, pies, sourdoughs, cakes and slices, and even macarons and Petit Four, all made onsite.

Croquembouches (Photo credit: Toowong French Patisserie/Facebook)

In addition to common pastries, the well-stocked bakery also has a few creations that are uniquely their own, including the Egg Benedict/ Salmon Florentine in a brioche shell and Lamaron, a Lamington-inspired macaron.

Photo credit: Toowong French Patisserie/Facebook

The iconic bakery started in 1984 when three French brothers decided to open a patisserie in Brisbane. More than a decade later, they sold the business to the Gravestein family, who owns and operates the bakery up to this day.

“The Toowong Patisserie has become a part of Brisbane folklore, even having been included in award-winning author Nick Earls’ 1997 novel, Zigzag Street. We are serving next-generation customers who come with tales of eating here or ordering their croquembouches decades ago with parents and grandparents,” shared the Gravesteins.

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A post shared by Toowong French Patisserie (@the.french.patisserie)

Now, the business continues to grow with another location at the Salt Village and the addition of a dinner menu on the Toowong site. They recently launched the Sunset Menu, allowing guests to delight in French tapas with a beer, bubbly, or wine and live sax music.

For more details on reserving your table for Toowong French Patisserie’s Sunset Menu or other information about the bakery, visit their website or follow them on social media.

Toowong French Patisserie

Phone: 07 3371 8996

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TFPatisserie

Instagram: @the.french.patisserie

BUSHkids Toowong Receives Infrastructure Boost for Telehealth Centre

BUSHkids Toowong, a non-profit organisation providing free healthcare support for children and families in regional and rural areas, received a substantial funding boost for its telehealthcare programs.

As part of the $8 million Community Infrastructure Investment Partnership (CIIP) competitive grants program under Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister Steven Miles, BUSHkids Toowong will receive $481,090 to establish a dedicated telehealth facility on its Brisbane office in Morley Street.

“Telehealth has proved to be a great way of complementing the work of our regional centres, particularly during COVID-19 and the telehealth centre will support our therapists based around the state going forward,” BUSHkids CEO Carlton Meyn said.

“This grant allows us to start work on the project and when finished it will enable us to provide services to more children in rural, regional and remote communities who need our help now more than ever.”

BUSHkids, also known as the Royal Queensland Bush Childrens’ Health Scheme, is one of 12 grant recipients alongside a mental health hub in Teneriffe, a community hub in Caboolture, and a youth centre in Ipswich. The boost to expand its services will also provide jobs in the construction, administrative, and social service sector.

“Infrastructure is about more than just large construction projects – it is also about small to medium projects that make a real impact at a local level and help boost the heart and soul of a community.

“They will pave the way for many new opportunities for local people who will benefit from the increased availability of services that support their health, well-being and the development of new skills,” Mr Miles said.

New Aviary Residences High-End Tower Rising in Toowong

Aviary Residences, a $450-million development, with Sky Villas which feature balconies for barbeques, walk-in butlers’ pantries, and dedicated bar areas, in a tower complex with a mix of residential, retail, hospitality, office, and shared outdoor spaces will soon rise in Toowong.

The $450-million development, from State Development Corporation in partnership with White & Partners Sydney, will be a mix of residential, retail, hospitality, office, and shared outdoor spaces in a thriving lifestyle destination.

Appealing to owner-occupiers, which now makes up over 58 percent of the current inner-city apartment market in Brisbane, Aviary Residences has been designed for families and downsizers looking for “high quality, generous apartments with the very best wellbeing and lifestyle amenities,” according to State Development Corporation Managing Director Ross McKinnon.

Twelve exclusive Sky Villa apartments feature balconies for barbeques, walk-in butlers’ pantries, and dedicated bar areas equipped with wine fridges, luxury amenities comparable to those found in large, single-detached homes but with all the conveniences of vertical living.

“We’re also conscious that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re seeing more people spending time at home and opting to entertain guests in their own space, so have featured entertainment areas, study nooks and spacious media rooms in the designs of some apartments,” McKinnon added.

Aviary Residences will include shared facilities like a rooftop infinity edge pool with views of Brisbane CBD, garden lounges and dining alcoves, a residents’ lounge, media room, rooftop library and private dining room for residents to entertain guests in style or work from home with options to hold meetings in the lounge or library areas.

Nettleton Tribe, an award-winning Brisbane architecture firm, was commissioned for the tower’s design, which will also offer a curated mix of retailers, including a fresh food market, a gym and fitness studio, and a health/medical precinct. The location is accessible to public transport and has a high walkability factor.

Aviary Residences has opened its Display Suite at 45 High Street, Toowong. Floorplans range from 61 to 200 square metres.

Perrin Park in Toowong Emerges as Preferred Site for New Primary School

A site in Perrin Park, near the old Toowong Bowls Club, looks to be the preferred location for a new primary school in Brisbane’s west.

Following the second round of consultations in June 2021, data from the survey revealed that residents have opted for the site, specifically located on Gailey Road, instead of the initially proposed area next to the Indooroopilly State High School.

“Based on the feedback received, the Perrin Park Precinct appears to be the preferred site compared to the ISHS site, but further considerations are required,” the Department of Education updated as the site selection process will conclude by the end of 2021.

“Following site selection, there will be further opportunities for the local community to provide feedback on the project.”

Greens MP for Maiwar Michael Berkman presented the results of the month-long survey between Perrin Park and ISHS.

“The general finding that the Toowong Bowls Club site has more support is consistent with the balance of feedback I’ve been hearing for the last six months,” he said.

“While neither site is perfect, there is slightly more support for a new primary school there than at ISHS. My position has been that the State Government would need to provide a land swap to offset the loss of the community facilities at Toowong Bowls Club.”

Photo Credit: Greens MP for Maiwar Michael Berkman

However, some residents have raised concerns over the ecological impact around Perrin Park which has an active flying fox colony. Others also voiced their worries over the site’s flooding issues.

The State Government will have to discuss the land’s use as a school facility with Brisbane City Council, which owns the site. Acquiring private land has not been considered.

Brisbane’s new primary school in the west is slated to open in 2024 to ease the student overpopulation in Indooroopilly State School and Ironside.