Proposals have been submitted for a $140m Build to Rent development to be delivered above Brisbane’s historic Broadway Hotel, a long-derelict site that has remained vacant for over 15 years. The proposal seeks to restore and integrate the heritage-listed 19th-century pub into a new 34-storey Build to Rent development in Woolloongabba, one of the city’s key urban renewal areas.
The Broadway Hotel, which first opened in 1889, has been unoccupied since fires in 2010 and 2018 left it extensively damaged. Several redevelopment attempts have failed over the years, largely due to the site’s protected heritage status.
The latest application, lodged by the current owners, outlines plans to retain and restore the building’s most significant features while introducing new residential use above.
The proposed scheme includes 282 apartments, comprising 26 three-bedroom, 152 two-bedroom and 104 one-bedroom units. The design also allocates 275 car parking and 394 bicycle parking spaces. One full level of the tower is set aside for amenities, including a pool, gym, spa, sauna, yoga lawn, cinema and wine cellar.
According to the planning report, the project is intended to ‘revitalise a derelict site and give renewed use and meaning to an iconic and significant building’ within inner Brisbane. It notes that the city’s growing housing demand and major infrastructure upgrades linked to upcoming Olympic venues have created a strong case for new residential supply in the area.
The development would see the replacement of the hotel’s destroyed roof, verandas and sections of its external walls, while two of the rear wings, described as having lost heritage significance due to past damage, would be demolished to accommodate the new structure.
The heritage impact report argues that this approach maintains the integrity of the original façade and key architectural elements while enabling the site to function as part of a modern mixed-use development.
The Broadway Hotel building would be reinstated as a working pub, featuring new hospitality and event spaces alongside the proposed residential tower. The scheme falls within a designated state government Priority Development Area, which streamlines the assessment process and reduces the likelihood of delays due to objections.
