Plans for a controversial high-rise development on the corner of Hynes Street and Light Street in Fortitude Valley have been significantly revised, with the project’s height reduced and a century-old home set to be preserved and relocated.
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The original proposal, which is for a 14-storey luxury residential tower at 33 Hynes in Fortitude Valley drew strong criticism from local residents, who argued the design was visually out of place and offered little to address housing affordability. More than 40 public submissions, mostly opposing the plan, were received when the development was made public.
“The proposed unit tower is totally out of scale with the immediate neighbourhood. The immediate neighbours live in generally 2 storey buildings — they have no opportunity to increase the height of their dwellings under the local neighbourhood plan,” one local resident wrote.
Now, in response to the concerns, the revised design (A006806486) will see the tower scaled down to 10 storeys, with each level housing a single apartment. The overall building height has been reduced by over five metres, and the development will feature a more sympathetic architectural approach intended to better complement the existing neighbourhood.
A key heritage feature of the site, a pre-1911 timber home, will no longer be demolished. Instead, it will be carefully relocated to the northern side of Hynes Street and restored for future residential use.
“The proposal removes the previously approved Office and Dwelling Unit within the pre-1911 building and focuses on the delivery of high quality, luxury high rise apartment residences and low-rise townhouses on a substantial landholding, located on the fringe of Fortitude Valley. The proposal maintains the core layout of the previous approval,” planners stated.
The changes come after a detailed design review, which aimed to balance architectural quality with local character and constraints. Project representatives say the redesign also makes the build more cost-effective and less imposing, addressing feedback from surrounding residents.
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Project representatives are expected to reconnect with local residents in the coming week to provide updates and continue community engagement as the revised plans move forward.
Published 17-July-2025
