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A quiet suburban strip lined with timber cottages and red brick buildings could become unrecognisable, with plans to demolish existing homes and build a 15-storey tower made up of almost 200 units.
The proposal for Chermside in Brisbane’s north comes amid a wider push to accommodate the city’s booming population by transforming some suburbs with significantly taller buildings, which experts say will help maintain access to vital services by minimising urban sprawl.
Five properties from 10 to 18 Kelso Street would be bulldozed for the proposed development. Inset parking spaces would be added to the road, with a new footpath built.
The address is within walking distance of the Chermside shopping centre, Prince Charles Hospital and Chermside bus interchange.
The Kelso Street tower would comprise 193 one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments over 15 stories and about 3000 square metres.
It would also include a large swimming pool, spa, sundeck, gym, steam room and sauna. There would be 282 parking spaces across three underground levels.
The land falls within the proposed Chermside Suburban Renewal Precinct Plan, announced in February and yet to be implemented, although the area has already become a development hotspot.
There are multiple major projects nearby, including the recently completed Adina hotel.
Just a few streets away, Curwen Terrace has been transformed with highrise apartment blocks replacing many freestanding houses along its western edge.
There were few people on Kelso Street on Tuesday afternoon, but several neighbours spoke to this masthead and aired concerns about the project.
They said they were worried it would overshadow their own homes, cause property values to drop, and change the nature of the area they had chosen to live in.
One said a recent development had caused major congestion along the street during construction due to the presence of large trucks, and builders had blared loud music during work hours.
Brisbane City Council’s LNP administration has argued more homes are needed across the city, and the ideal place to build them is near public services and shopping precincts.
“We want Brisbane to be a city where everyone, no matter their circumstances, can find a home that suits them,” Northgate councillor Adam Allan said when the Chermside precinct plan was proposed in February.
“[We’re] focused on putting homes in the right places, that means locations with transport, shops, health services, parks and jobs close by.”
Sebastien Darchen, an urban studies academic at the University of Queensland, said projects similar to the Chermside proposal would make it easier to cater to the needs of Brisbane residents – though questioned their impact on prices without affordability mandates.
“We don’t want the city to urban sprawl … European cities are much denser so it’s easier to plan for infrastructure and transport. When we get sprawling it becomes very, very hard,” he told this masthead.
“Brisbane is already sprawling quite a bit, so they want more people to be close to amenity, jobs and services … I agree we need density.”
CS Development Group is behind the latest Chermside project, and a spokesperson said the location was appropriate due to its proximity to nearby businesses and services.
“Brisbane is in the middle of a serious housing shortage, and Chermside is exactly the kind of established, well-serviced location where new supply makes sense,” the spokesperson said.
“Our application … [is] designed to give first home buyers, families and downsizers well-priced, well-located options close to the jobs, services and amenity they want.”
They said it was too early to say when construction would begin, or how much units would cost.
The Chermside Suburban Renewal Precinct Plan – which would likely make it easier to build taller structures – has not yet been implemented.
Due to its proposed height, the Kelso Street project is impact assessable, meaning it will need to go through a public consultation process before being approved.
“While exceeding the acceptable outcome of 10 storeys, the proposal is supported by the site’s context and location within an evolving higher density precinct,” the development application said.
“Any potential conflict with the planning scheme is limited and minor in nature and there are sufficient grounds to justify the development, despite such conflict.”
The application lists Dina Robert Gastaldon and Seachest Pty Ltd as the landowners. Some of the homes appeared vacant on Tuesday, but at least two had tenants.
NMDS Architecture designed the proposed tower.
A traffic report said traffic would increase along the strip if the development went ahead, but road upgrades could partially offset this.
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