Waterfront Character House – Brisbane

JREY, trading as Urban Planners Queensland, guided this project through two separate development applications to achieve a successful outcome on a site that had previously been considered problematic.

The first application sought approval for the demolition of a dilapidated pre-1947 dwelling located on a waterfront site within the Traditional Building Character Overlay. Early strategic advice from JREY identified the Planning and Environment Court as the most appropriate pathway for approval, and demolition was ultimately approved through the Court process.

Following this outcome, a second development application was lodged for a new three-storey dwelling within the Traditional Building Character Overlay. While additional storeys are not typically supported under the planning scheme, a detailed performance-based assessment demonstrated that the proposal responded appropriately to the established local context and satisfied the relevant performance outcomes of Brisbane City Plan 2014.

This staged and strategic approach enabled the site’s constraints to be addressed methodically, delivering a compliant and commercially viable outcome where others had identified significant planning risk.