A fifteen storey residential tower has been proposed for a prominent riverfront site at 178 to 180 Macquarie Street, St Lucia, with a development application now lodged with Brisbane City Council.
Prepared for Bottega Group, the application seeks approval for a multiple dwelling development comprising 47 apartments across 15 storeys, replacing two existing detached dwellings currently occupying the site.
The subject site occupies a 1,513 square metre riverfront parcel with frontage to both Macquarie Street and the Brisbane River, and is located within the High Density Residential HDR2 zone under the Brisbane City Plan 2014, where buildings of up to 15 storeys are anticipated.
According to the planning report prepared by Urbis, the proposal is designed to align with the intent of the Toowong Indooroopilly District Neighbourhood Plan and responds to the site’s riverfront setting, existing vegetation and flood planning constraints.
The development would comprise a total of 47 dwellings, including 12 two bedroom apartments and 35 three bedroom apartments, distributed across 14 residential levels above ground level communal spaces and basement parking.
The building height is nominated as 15 storeys, reaching approximately 64.4 metres AHD including the lift overrun, which aligns with the maximum height anticipated for the site under the applicable planning controls.
The architectural design has been prepared by Plus Studio, with the tower form described as responding to the natural rhythms of the Brisbane River and surrounding mature gum trees.
According to the architect, the building adopts vertical proportions and organic lines that reference the slender trunks and branching forms of nearby vegetation, with layered facades and articulated screening used to reduce perceived bulk when viewed from Macquarie Street and neighbouring properties.
Project Rundown
| Development Parameter | Proposed Development |
|---|---|
| Address: | 178–180 Macquarie Street, St Lucia |
| Development Type: | Multiple Dwelling (Residential) |
| Site Area: | 1,513m² |
| Height: | 15 storeys / approximately 64.4 metres (including lift overrun) |
| Apartments: | 47 apartments (12 x two bedroom, 35 x three bedroom) |
| Elevators: | • 2 passenger lifts • 47 apartments total • Lift to unit ratio: 1:24 |
| Communal Space: | 775m² total communal open space including rooftop garden, internal wellness spaces, mineral pool and cold plunge |
| Retail: | None proposed |
| Car Parking: | 85 resident spaces, 14 visitor spaces, 2 motorcycle spaces |
| Bike Parking: | • Resident bicycle parking: 38 spaces • Visitor bicycle parking: 12 spaces |
| Developer: | Bottega Group |
| Architect: | Plus Studio |
| Landscape Design: | Urbis |
| Town Planner: | Urbis |
| Sustainability: | Rooftop Solar: No proposed solar on plans for communal building energy consumption Energy Efficiency: Passive design, facade shading, operable elements for cross ventilation Waste Management: Dedicated refuse room with recycling chute divider proposed meaning recycling is able to be sent down on each habitable level, encouraging resident recycling Water Conservation: Stormwater treatment tank below ground Green Landscaping: 559m² of landscaping including deep planting zones and riparian vegetation Active Transport Facilities: Bicycle parking provided within basement levels |
| Date Submitted: | December 2025 |
| Assessment Level: | Code Assessable |
| DA Application Link: | A006913981 |
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Material selections include textured concrete, natural stone, vertical screening and muted earth toned finishes, intended to integrate the building into its riverside context rather than present as a conventional high rise form.
Setbacks increase as the building rises, with tower setbacks ranging from approximately 3 to 4 metres to side boundaries and a minimum 12 metre setback to the high tide line along the Brisbane River.
Communal amenity is concentrated at ground level and rooftop level, with a combined total of approximately 775 square metres of internal and external shared space proposed for residents.
At ground level, plans show three enclosed wellness spaces, a mineral swimming pool and cold plunge pool located along the river edge, complemented by landscaped seating areas and riparian planting.
A rooftop garden is proposed above the upper residential levels, incorporating landscaped areas, seating, and private recreation spaces. The rooftop design exceeds Council’s minimum soft landscaping requirements, with approximately 37 percent of the roof area dedicated to planting.
Landscape design has been prepared by Urbis, with the Landscape Concept Report identifying a strong emphasis on native and endemic planting to reinforce the Brisbane River ecological corridor and screen the podium form from neighbouring properties.
The arborist assessment identifies 15 trees on and adjacent to the site, with several to be removed due to building footprint constraints, while a number of significant trees are proposed to be retained and protected during construction.
The application is code assessable and seeks approval for a Material Change of Use for a multiple dwelling development. No referral agencies are triggered as part of the application.
A pre lodgement meeting was held with Brisbane City Council in August 2025, with Council officers indicating that the proposed height and density align with planning expectations for the site, subject to detailed design compliance.
According to the planning report, the proposal is considered to provide housing diversity within a well located inner western riverside precinct, without resulting in unacceptable impacts on neighbouring properties or the public realm.
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Very odd that they’re going with a basement carparking solution for this one: This entire street went under during the last few flooding events, so why would you even consider ground-floor and sub-floor parking. I’d give it a pass if they built a 3m high sea-wall at ground level, but nope: open plan “wellness” areas leave the entire ground floor exposed. There’s nothing stopping the floodwater from just flowing down the driveway and into the basement.
There’s plenty of alternate solutions available: take a look at any of the other high-rises on this website to see buildings with carparking starting on the 2nd floor. But I guess building heights are restrained by St Lucia’s medium-rise restrictions, so every non-habitable storey above ground is lost revenue.
So this one’s gone the greedy developer’s motto: “fuck-em; maximize profit now and let the future owners deal with the natural disaster consequences.”
I think it’s interesting that some of the very mature trees on the existing site seem to have “died” this year. What timing! What a coincidence….