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Hotels up to 12 storeys tall could be built at some pubs in Brisbane, with owners to be given temporary exemptions as part of a plan to boost short-term accommodation ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
Under the plan, the tallest hotels of 12 storeys would be allowed in Nundah, Toombul, Mitchelton, Toowong, Indooroopilly, Wynnum and Carindale. Height limits would be between four and seven storeys in other suburbs.
To facilitate the changes, Brisbane City Council will introduce a Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) this month. It will then go to the state government for approval.
Eligible projects will be spared infrastructure charges, which Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said would make developments more financially viable for pub owners, who do not always have significant cash flow.
“There’s obviously untapped opportunity out there,” Schrinner told reporters on Monday.
Ross Elliott, director of Suburban Futures and chair of the Better Suburbs Initiative, said he believed the uptake would likely be patchy.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of long-term lease arrangements, with some of the operators saying, ‘We’re making enough money out of pokies and the drive-through now. Why do we need to do this?’” Elliott said.
“I think the thing they need to think about is if they don’t do it now … this opportunity is going to pass … you can’t come back and have a second bite of the cherry after the Olympics.”
Elliott said he expected most of the new hotels would be built on existing pub car parks.
The council’s Labor opposition said the plan lacked community consultation and was intended to serve the interests of developers.
“People would think, ‘That doesn’t pass the pub test’,” leader Jared Cassidy said outside City Hall.
“This is a completely inappropriate way to use a TLPI. They are there to protect something from being lost; they’re not there to enable developers to make a huge profit.”
A basic outline of the plan was announced in December 2025.
It came after the council revealed it would ban Airbnb and other short-stay holiday accommodation in some suburbs, but the LNP has since backed away from that proposal.
At the time, the lord mayor said redeveloping 20 suburban pubs could increase the number of hotel rooms in Brisbane by about 1600.
Independent councillor Nicole Johnston said the plan for hotels at pubs could cause major challenges.
“I think the lord mayor may have been spending too long in the pub if he thinks allowing huge suburban pub developments adjoining quiet residential areas is a good idea,” she said.
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