Heritage Showroom to Anchor New 15-Storey Development on Water Street
A locally heritage-listed furniture showroom on Water Street is set to become the centrepiece of a new mixed-use residential project. Developer Keylin is seeking approval for Lotus on Water Street, a 15-storey tower on the Fortitude Valley side of Spring Hill.
The proposal spans 290 Water Street and 137-141 Warry Street, combining several properties into a 2,869 sqm site. This location sits between Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill, and the rapidly evolving Victoria Park precinct. According to Apartments.com.au, the plan delivers 132 apartments alongside new retail, hospitality, and commercial space.
Heritage Retention and Design Details
Keylin’s plans focus on retaining and repurposing the historic Brunswick Home Furnishers Showroom that fronts Water Street. The development application notes that the showroom and adjoining heritage buildings will remain, with only non-significant structures earmarked for removal under a previously issued Heritage Exemption Certificate.
Designed by Jackson Teece, the project comprises a 12-storey residential tower rising above a three-storey podium. Levels one and two of the new podium are recessed behind the heritage façades to maintain their prominence within the streetscape. The façade incorporates perforated metal screening that references the woven and rattan furniture historically produced on the site.
Cascading and climbing plants are integrated throughout the podium to soften the building’s presentation and screen parking levels behind. The landscape strategy informs the project’s name, drawing on the historic Spring Hollow waterholes that once ran through Spring Hill and the blue water lilies associated with Meeanjin, Brisbane’s traditional name.
Amenities and Residential Mix
The development includes 76 apartments classified as multiple dwellings and a further 56 units proposed as short-term accommodation. These units are designed to be flexibly used as either accommodation or permanent residences. The apartment mix comprises six one-bedroom, 54 two-bedroom, and 16 three-bedroom homes.
Residents would have access to an extensive rooftop recreation level spanning more than 1,200 sqm of communal open space. Plans include a pool, gym, sauna, infrared sauna, yoga area, library, private dining room, barbecue facilities, and landscaped entertainment spaces. This rooftop serves as the project’s largest shared amenity offering.
Location and Connectivity
The site is within the Spring Hill East Precinct of the Spring Hill Neighbourhood Plan and is positioned around 650 metres from both Fortitude Valley Station and Exhibition Station. It is also within walking distance of the King Street precinct, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston Quarter, and Victoria Park.
Victoria Park is earmarked to become a major venue precinct ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Planning documents describe the location as a key gateway between Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley, highlighting the area’s increasing importance as new transport infrastructure and Olympic-related investment reshape Brisbane’s inner north.
The development team argues the project will contribute additional housing supply while activating a section of Water Street that has historically received less investment than other parts of the Valley. The proposal also incorporates the neighbouring property at 141 Warry Street, currently occupied by a healthcare service. The existing building would remain, with nine dedicated parking spaces allocated within the new development to support its ongoing operation.
In total, Lotus on Water Street proposes 117 car spaces, including 110 resident spaces and seven visitor bays, alongside 100 bicycle spaces. A permeable residential lobby would be positioned between the retained heritage buildings, creating a pedestrian connection between the historic streetscape and the new tower behind.
