The next stage of Howard Smith Wharves continues to evolve, with an amended development application submitted to Brisbane City Council showcasing a series of architectural and public realm refinements.
The revised proposal includes substantial design changes to the previously approved scheme, most notably a reconfigured hotel building, a new public river stair in place of a floating barge, and enhanced pathways to support active transport through the precinct.
These changes follow a four-year design evolution and recent council feedback, prompting the applicant, Little Boat Projects, to recalibrate the proposal with a stronger focus on permeability, urban legibility and heritage sensitivity.
A Hotel Framed by Arches and the Cliff
The proposed hotel remains a central architectural gesture in the precinct. The updated scheme reinforces its relationship with the cliff edge and river through a restrained material palette of brickwork and stone, along with more expressive and widened colonnade arches at ground level.
These arches replace previously narrower openings and now span both the riverside and cliff-facing facades, creating improved cross-block sightlines and more generous space for intuitive movement.
Key hotel levels include:
- A wellness and business level (Level 4) to support hotel functions and broaden community utility
- Guest rooms and penthouses across Levels 5 to 8, each with balconies or terrace gardens
- A rooftop pool, restaurant and lounge area with views toward the Story Bridge and city skyline
The colonnade itself has been revised to allow for increased flow and safety, including the removal of a key structural column to improve wayfinding, and a new cantilevered balcony to provide viewing access to the site’s WWII air raid shelters.
Public Realm Recalibrated for the River
Replacing the previously approved barge, a new Grand River Stair has been introduced to provide direct access to the water’s edge. This wide, landscaped stair will offer tiered seating, garden beds, and framed views of the Story Bridge, emerging as a central civic gesture within the precinct.
The riverside promenade adjacent to the hotel has also been widened by 2.5 metres, enhancing its function as a pedestrian-oriented space. With retractable awnings proposed along much of its length, the revised design anticipates a more activated river edge, with increased capacity for outdoor dining and public gathering.
Landscape and Soft Edges
The amended landscape plan introduces a new planting palette that blends local identity with a subtropical, Mediterranean sensibility. Signature species include olive trees, pomegranate, native crepe myrtle, and climbing bougainvillea, alongside Waterhousea floribunda (Weeping Lilly Pilly), selected for its shade-providing canopy and presence along other riverfront precincts in Brisbane.
Other notable landscape features include:
- A riverside pool with cabanas and lounge seating
- Large feature trees at key lawn edges
- Cascading planting along terraced river steps
- Rooftop greenery designed to visually integrate the building crown with the adjacent cliff
Shared Path and Urban Movement
Responding to pedestrian and cyclist safety concerns, the proposal includes a reconfiguration of the precinct’s primary shared pathway. Behind the hotel, a 9-metre-wide colonnade now incorporates a separated pedestrian footpath, planter buffers and cycle access zones. Materials, paving patterns and sightlines have been carefully designed to slow movement at conflict points and improve visibility.
Additional wayfinding and pedestrian upgrades include:
- Dedicated Uber/taxi drop-off via Boundary Street
- New eastern and western lifts from Bowen Terrace
- Staged pathway delivery with temporary construction paths to ensure continuous precinct access during works
The original development application article can be found here.
A hotel building shouldn’t be allowed to cover this place’s main drawcard – its natural setting and beauty.
The hotel should be below the cliff line so as to not obstruct the free public view from the top of the cliffs.
Many people enjoy that view everyday with picnics, parties, wedding photos, not to mention fireworks at New Years and riverfire.
That hotel would be fine on James St, but it is totally out of place here.
Developing the old wharves into something current and useful was a great use of the area. But now this precious land has gone to a developer for a hotel that delivers nothing for Brisbane residents. The article elevates the widening of the pedestrian walkway as somehow wonderful when in fact Brisbane has lost yet another iconic site to private development. I think we are all so tired of this and frustrated that nobody really is able to make their concerns heard.
This is fantastic! Time to put Brisbane on the world stage ahead of the Olympics!
Terrible. Obviously Vicki Howard is on the take again and doing nothing to protect the peninsula. This precinct was meant to be saved for the people of Brisbane to utilise not turned into a pub and hotel. Absolute theft of public land