The transformation of Yeronga’s former Taubmans paint factory into a large-scale arts and residential precinct has been approved by Brisbane City Council, paving the way for one of the city’s most ambitious suburban renewal projects.
The 34,000 square metre site at 115 Hyde Road, which has been inactive since Taubmans shut down operations in 2015, is set to become a multi-stage “integrated arts village” combining performance, exhibition, food, retail, and residential uses.
Stage one of the redevelopment would introduce food and drink outlets, art studios, gallery spaces, a theatre and even an escape room. Longer-term plans outline a wide-ranging mix of uses including:
- Market spaces and health services
- A garden centre and hardware outlet
- A microbrewery
- Multiple entertainment venues
- Five mid-rise residential towers delivering hundreds of new homes
Council has endorsed heights ranging from four to eight storeys across the site.
Developers behind the proposal have described the approval as an early but important milestone. They stated that formal next steps would be mapped out once final conditions were provided by council.
The first stage would also provide 64 parking spaces for visitors and staff, with the capacity to expand to up to 200 spaces for larger events.
Community submissions on the proposal revealed a split response. Many local residents supported the adaptive reuse of the site and welcomed new cultural activity in Yeronga. However, others expressed concern about the scale of proposed buildings, particularly the introduction of medium-rise apartments in a traditionally low-rise suburb.
Yeronga ward councillor Nicole Johnston reflected this tension, noting that while there was clear support for revitalisation of the factory site, there remained unease about building heights and the absence of additional infrastructure.
“Our community supports revitalisation of the old Taubmans paint factory site, but has been very clear that high-rise development well beyond the heights allowed under City Plan, together with no new infrastructure, will create adverse impacts,” she said.
Ross Elliott, chair of the Lord Mayor’s Better Suburbs Initiative, said the project demonstrated the value of suburban renewal by making more efficient use of redundant land.
“Suburban renewal means making the most of what we already have, by repurposing older suburban land uses into contemporary places which meet today’s community needs. The Paint Factory project does just this,” Elliott said.
He compared the vision to the way former industrial zones such as James Street in New Farm have been progressively redeveloped into mixed-use precincts.
The design team has also cited inspiration from repurposed cultural landmarks including the Brisbane Powerhouse at New Farm and Sydney’s Carriageworks, both examples of industrial buildings given new life as arts destinations.
The project marks one of the most substantial suburban renewal efforts in Brisbane outside the inner city. Unlike CBD-scale developments, the Yeronga proposal combines residential, retail and cultural activity in a single masterplan, a format more common in larger metropolitan centres overseas.
By retaining the historic industrial character of the site while embedding new uses, the redevelopment demonstrates a shift in planning focus towards adaptive reuse and mixed-density living.
While the development approval sets the framework, final design details will depend on conditions issued by council. These will guide the mix of uses, traffic management, and the overall balance between residential and cultural elements of the precinct.
As the project advances, key issues to watch include:
- How community concerns about building height and infrastructure are addressed
- The timing of delivery for residential towers versus cultural amenities
- The extent to which the site establishes itself as a destination comparable to other repurposed industrial precincts in Brisbane and Sydney
This redevelopment signals a significant turning point for Yeronga, with a long-vacant industrial site poised to become an active cultural and residential hub over the coming years.
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looks so dead, could’ve been the market that brisbane was sorely missing but alas
The land is one of the last industrial zones in Brisbane, and classified as such. If zoning is changed it will become a precedent for other industrial zones within Brisbane, so they all will become mixed residential then, with much fewer workplaces available for small buinesses and people. Extremely shortsighted and frustrating decision, likely to be a corruption involved.
“If zoning is changed it will become a precedent for other industrial zones within Brisbane, so they all will become mixed residential”
….and why is this a bad thing?? We’re talking about an INDUSTRIAL zone, not a light commercial or retail zone. Removing industrial sites from inner city areas should be a good thing, not something to lament and cry about. I doubt a “small business” would be able to lease the land, letalone buy it. There’s a reason small business in these industrial zones have all dried up; the rising cost of land value (and land rates) so close to the city centre doesn’t make sense for industrial usage.
Kick those industry zones out of the inner city: this is a place for RESIDENTS, not noise and air pollution. If Brisbane is to meet it’s housing needs now and in the future, developing high density apartments on rezoned industrial land is the way to go. Bonus points as the developer has to treat and remove any polluted soil built up from ages of unregulated industrial use.