Frasers Luxury Dual-Tower Plans at Newstead Approved

After making a strategic design pivot last year, Frasers Property Australia has been greenlit for its luxury dual-tower apartment project in inner Brisbane. Planned for a site at the corner of Chester and Morse streets, Newstead, the building will comprise 70 apartments across two 16-storey highrises. The approved plans are half the size of the proposal Frasers originally filed with the Brisbane City Council. Last year, Frasers applied to split the original single 17-storey tower of 141 units into two and cut the apartment numbers in half , citing market conditions. The Rothelowman-designed project will also include a trio of three-storey terrace houses as well as a public plaza and ground-floor retail. A balancing act for developer The focus for the developer has been balancing amenity for high-end buyers with the existing amenity in the area, Frasers development director Jamisen Rivera told The Urban Developer . “The Brisbane apartment market has some of the best amenity in Australia, if not the world,” Rivera said. “As a result, some wellness amenities are not a key differentiator anymore, they are almost a part of a base offering.” ▲ Renderings of the reworked design for the Frasers Property development at Newstead. Discerning buyers could recognise when a developer was box-ticking, Rivera said. “We wanted to really be mindful [to deliver] something that is well considered and designed to complement the local offering and amenity.” Private experiences such as the private residents’ garden were a key part of that thought process, she said. “These are the things that are going to enhance residents’ lifestyles and their mental and physical health, whilst not trying to replicate what already exists.” ▲ The Rothelowman-designed building includes a wellness podium. Rivera said the council had been receptive to its plans. “They are attuned to the commercial realities of trying to bring housing supply to market at the moment, and they’re doing a really great job of balancing administrating the planning scheme appropriately, but also understanding why developers are making the decisions that we are at the moment,” she said. The 3016sq m site is a street down from Brisbane’s James Street, itself the site of several landmark developments in recent years. Developers also tapping into the reputation of James Street include luxury developer Graya planting its mixed-use flag in the sand with its planned James Street precinct last year after acquiring the site for $20 million. Rivera said that James Street had been a “catalyst for Brisbane’s evolution as a culinary and retail destination” and its proximity was a major selling point. “The Newstead site is a really unique opportunity to create something that was able to tap into that James Street precinct, but also wasn’t right in the thick of the action as well,” she said. ▲ The Frasers project includes plunge pools, dining pavilions and a private garden. “Our experience with those high-end buyers is that they often would prefer to have the ability to kind of tap in or tap out, or opt in or opt out of that experience at their own discretion.” With approval secured for the Newstead project, the team is moving on to detailed design and procurement, and a builder announcement is expected within months. Elsewhere, the developer is progressing its other Queensland projects. “Brisbane continues to be a really strong market for us, and we pride ourselves in having a diversified platform,” Rivera said. Its $300-million Brunswick &amp; Co development at Fortitude Valley , comprising 40 per cent affordable homes, is under construction with Hutchinson Builders and is due to complete later in 2026. And its Keperra The Quarry site of 400 lots is under way, while its 2000-lot Brookhaven development is in the final stages of delivery.

Frasers Luxury Dual-Tower Plans at Newstead Approved

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