Units Dropped for Townhouses in Brisbane’s South

Major changes for a housing development at Rochedale, swapping a six-storey apartment block for 41 townhouses, have been lodged with the Brisbane City Council.

The site, at 319 Gardner Road in the outer southern suburb, has been earmarked for a major housing redevelopment since approvals were granted for a staged development of 304 homes in 2018.

The development application lists Rochedale Management as the developer of the site, a company attributed to a conglomerate of which the biggest shareholder is Ren He Investment Group.

However, a residential project at 319 Gardner Road dubbed Armida is listed on its website as being developed by AECO Developments and Long Ze International Development Group, with designs by Kris Kowalski Architects.

Rochedale is 18km south of the Brisbane CBD.

According to the latest application, the development was to be carried out in three stages, with 42 units and a new road in Stage 1; 50 units and new road in Stage 2; and 212 units and centre activities in Stage 3. 

Minor modifications have since been made to those approved plans. The latest application relates to Stage 3, which sought to develop a six-storey apartment building with 212 units [pictured above]. 

According to the developer, “based on market feedback and building costs, construction of the approved apartment building is not feasible”. 

Instead, in documents made available this week, the developer is proposing a collection of townhouses. 

It said that the new proposals are “more aligned to the intent of the neighbourhood plan and continues to achieve a high-quality built form outcome, resulting in a development that co-exists comfortably with the adjoining uses and supports the residential amenity of the site”. 

▲ Original plans submitted in 2013 for 319 Gardner Road included a complex of six-storey apartment buildings surrounding an inner courtyard.

Prelodgement meetings with the council suggested that a home-density reduction appeared to “align more with the anticipated yield for this precinct under the neighbourhood plan”, which seeks a mix of housing types.

Of the proposed two to three-storey townhouses, 24 will be three-bedroom and the remainder will have four bedrooms. 

Commercial uses planned for the 8059sq m block have been scrapped.

New communal open spaces will offer a pool, gym, sauna, and barbecue and dining area.