Michael Berkman Archives

Brisbane’s Tallest Suburban Towers on Hold: Toowong Central Redevelopment Update

Plans for the prominent Toowong Central redevelopment have been placed on hold after the developer requested that Brisbane pause its assessment process to review community feedback and planning concerns.

Read: $1 Billion Toowong Central Precinct Proposed to Transform Inner West

The project, located at 47 High Street in Toowong, was scheduled to enter its public consultation phase on 4 November 2025. However, the developer, Toowong Central Investment Holding Pty Ltd, has been granted a stop period of up to 130 business days — a move that could push consultation into mid-2026.

47 High Street (Photo credit: Google Street View)

The decision marks the latest delay for the long-vacant site, which has remained largely unused since the former Woolworths store was demolished several years ago.

A Landmark Proposal

Photo credit: Brisbane PD Online – A006836692

The estimated $1 billion proposal would see three residential towers of 49, 55, and 58 storeys erected on the site, making them among Brisbane’s tallest residential buildings outside the CBD. The scale of the development has drawn intense community and planning attention.

Brisbane has stated the proposed heights are a departure from those anticipated by its City Plan. The Council also flagged further scrutiny of issues such as building setbacks and separation, traffic modelling, heritage impacts (including the former Carver & Co building), and deep-planting/landscaping.

Local residents submitted around 28 formal responses before the pause was requested. Common themes included concern over excessive car-parking provision, demand for increased public open space, improved active and public transport infrastructure, and worry that the project favours private benefit over community outcomes. Some submissions noted that height itself was less of an issue so long as infrastructure and public-benefit outcomes were strong.

Read: ‘Better Uses’ Than Parking at Toowong Central Site, Say Residents

Developer’s Pause Raises Questions

Towers at Toowong Central Redevelopment (Photo credit: Brisbane PD Online – A006836692)

In October 2025, BCC took the rare step of ordering upfront public notification rather than issuing a standard further-information request, citing the proposal’s scale and the high level of community interest. The request for a stop period came only weeks later.

The stop period mechanism allows the developer to delay assessment for up to 130 business days, but the developer may elect to start public consultation earlier. If the full stop period is used, the Council indicates the notification window would commence on 12 May 2026 and run through to 19 May 2026.

State MP Michael Berkman said the delay reflects unresolved community concerns. “It’s frustrating to see this site continue to sit desolate and disused for even longer, but on the other hand, I think it’s quite telling that the developer doesn’t want to move to public consultation yet. No doubt they’ve realised that their proposal falls well short of community expectations. In my view, it’s a clear sign we can get a better offer.”

Berkman has called for any approval of the towers’ height to be conditional on at least 25 per cent of the homes being genuinely affordable, alongside better deep planting and public space outcomes. Meanwhile, social media commentary from the community has been mixed — some readers lament the delay amid a broader housing-supply shortage, others argue that scrutiny is justified given the project’s size.

What Happens Next

When the consultation phase opens, residents will be able to lodge formal submissions directly to BCC, which must consider this feedback before deciding whether to approve, refuse or require changes to the proposal.

While some members of the community hope the pause will lead to a revised scheme that better balances development ambition with Toowong’s character and liveability, others remain frustrated by the ongoing vacancy. For now, the empty block in the heart of Toowong continues to symbolise the suburb’s growth pressures and the ongoing debate about how Brisbane should evolve.

Published 6-November-2025

Petition Launched to Buy Back Old ABC Site for New Toowong Riverside Park

A petition seeking to buy back the old ABC site on Coronation Drive and turn it into a public park is gaining numbers following news that Sunland Group plans to sell the 1.5-hectare site. Local Greens MP Michael Berkman, who has been seeking to build a public park in the abandoned property for years, launched the petition and renewed his calls for the Government to give Toowong its green space.

Sunland Group bought the old ABC site in 2013, years after it has been sitting idle. However, its development plans failed to take off after a back and forth in court until the Supreme Court rejected its three-tower proposal in 2018.

“This 15,000m2 riverfront site should never have been privatised by the former federal Labor government. It has sat empty and derelict for almost 15 years, and now the private developer owner Sunland is putting the site up for sale,” Mr Berkman wrote in his petition, which has since logged nearly 1,500 signatures within 24 hours. “This beautiful riverfront land should be a publicly owned community space, with things we can all enjoy like a park, a public pool, gardens, a community centre and more.”

“This is a golden opportunity: the developer is clearly trying to offload this land during the COVID-19 downturn, so the government could either buy it for a good price now or let it sit empty for years while the new owner waits for better market conditions,” Mr Berkman said in a statement. “Right now this land is sitting vacant and derelict while locals cry out for more public green space to offset growth, with a major 25-story development planned for the former Woolworths site up the road, and the Toowong-West End green bridge proposed to land at exactly this site.”

To increase public awareness and encourage more people to sign the petition, Mr Berkman posted a photo of the Toowong Swimming Pool from the 1960s. The pool was publicly funded and built in 1909 but the Council sold the property in 2001.

Photo Credit: Michael Berkman – Greens MP for Maiwar/Facebook

“Nowadays there would be hundreds of private pools within a few kilometres of this spot, but most people don’t have access to a place to swim locally,” he said on Facebook. “I think it’s time for a public pool for Toowong and the west side, and the old ABC site would be a perfect location.”

Mr Berkman also did a survey among Toowong residents in 2019 and learned that 88 percent want the old ABC site to be a “publicly owned riverside park with things we can all enjoy, like a pool, gardens, a dance hall or a new community centre.”

“This should be a non-partisan issue,” the MP reiterated. “So the local community and I are asking Labor and LNP representatives to work together to return this land into public hands.”

Locals Want a Bridge Connecting Toowong to West End, Community Survey Reveals

At 600 Coronation Dr in Toowong, the former ABC site now owned by Sunland (Photo Credit: Google Street View)

Around 90 percent of 1,633 local survey respondents support a new footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists between Toowong and West End.

The community survey by State Greens MP for Maiwar Michael Berkman and Councillor for The Gabba Jonathan Sri was created to get the residents’ input regarding the plans for the old ABC site and whether they support a bridge to West End.

Only 5.39 percent is against the idea, whilst the remaining 4.35 percent of residents are not sure if it will be a good idea to build a Toowong and West End connection.

Cr Sri said there had been various studies and plans for a bridge over the years. However, none had ever given local residents a direct vote to gauge what they thought.

“A bridge for pedestrians and cyclists would give West End residents a direct link to Toowong Village and train station as well as a shorter, safer cycling route to UQ,’’ he said.

According to Mr Berkman, the exact location and design of the footbridge would be subject to further consultations with residents, following more detailed work by the engineering, planning and design experts.

Meanwhile, when asked if it is a good idea that the Federal Government sold the former ABC site to a private developer back in 2013, 81 percent of respondents said the government should not have sold it.

They believe it should be converted into a public space, like a public park with large shady trees, a spot to have a picnic, or barbecues.

Around 15 percent of residents are neutral or not sure and the other 3.5 percent believe it was just a good idea that the federal government sold the site to a private developer.

Out of all 1600 respondents, 87 percent believes the Federal/State Government or the City Council should buy back the land to create a new public space in Toowong.

Plans for the Former ABC Site

Luxury developer Sunland Group acquired the site in 2013 for $20 million, despite Brisbane City Council lobbying for it to be turned into parkland.

After being rejected by the Planning and Environment Court for their proposed 27-storey skyscrapers, they decided to prepare a new development application for the site this year.

Sunland said the new project is still in its planning stage, but the company’s managing director Sahba Abedian said they are now directing every effort to conceive a new architectural outcome that “celebrates the unique riverfront site.”

ABC Site as a Public Space

In February 2019, Mr Berkman urged the state government to purchase the site and convert it to parkland.

“The former ABC site could be an idyllic riverfront park and a perfect landing point for a walking and cycling bridge connecting West End and Toowong,’’ Mr Berkman said.

Mr Berkman and Cr Siri will keep the survey open for another three weeks. He encourages the residents to provide their input regarding the ABC site and the Toowong and West End Bridge.

Apart from answering the survey, Mr Berkman also encourages the residents to participate in a community forum at the Figs on Sylvan at 65 Sylvan Road, Toowong on 17 April 2019 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

“Everyone is welcome, and more information including confirmed speakers will follow soon,” Mr Berkman said.