Our planning and design considerations
The reimagined design of the retirement living community drew directly from community response to the original plans submitted in 2021 and through Public Notification in 2022.
The guiding principles included proposing a new design that could better achieve a higher level of community consensus and support. This flowed into deliberate design choices such as restricting the height to 3 storeys above natural ground level across the majority of the site plus recessed rooftop recreation areas, with 4 storeys towards the centre of the site, better maintaining existing character, retaining an existing Queenslander house on Sargent Street, and basement car parking.
Following further community engagement across late 2022 and early 2023, Bolton Clarke has further amended plans. The key change is to remove the rooftop garden from the southern aspect which interfaces with Hazlewood properties, and partially with Sydney properties.
While several measures were proposed to reduce overlooking from this vantage point, the rooftop garden was removed to eliminate this issue for near neighbours.
It’s about providing a great retirement living lifestyle opportunity within New Farm that also balances community expectations. The new design will be submitted to Council following engagement with neighbours and local stakeholders. The new layout across our Sargent Street site is illustrated in the following aerial figure, including key features:
Sample of foyer & terrace within our portfolio – Europa on Alma, St Kilda, Victoria
A focus on design and lifestyle
Bolton Clarke appreciates that as people age, they may look to downsize and right-size, but never downgrade.
It’s a view shared by architectural firm Fender Katsalidis, which brought to the project not only world-class design excellence, but also the desire to celebrate and elevate retirement lifestyle.
Thoughtfully marrying the practical with prestige, the project promotes healthy, active and social New Farm lifestyles, with capacity to age-in-place.
Amenities include a gym, pool, bike storage, cinema, communal garden and rooftop terrace. A lush array of outdoor spaces further creates an environment of welcome that taps into the tropical Brisbane climate.
Sample of terrace within our portfolio – Europa on Alma, St Kilda, Victoria
Integrating the redevelopment into the locality
When Bolton Clarke engaged leading architects, Fender Katsalidis, we challenged their team to consider alternative design options that responded to site opportunities, met the requirements for community amenity and lifestyle and incorporated stakeholder feedback on the original project.
Architect David Sutherland’s team responded by looking to influences such as the range and type of housing and materials evident across New Farm and the opportunities presented by the tropical Brisbane climate.
The community-minded project includes:
- Reduction in scale and better integration into the local neighbourhood.
- Presenting as a 3-storey building to better meet community expectations.
- Thoughtful design mix and application of building materials in response to the diversity of housing around the site and neighbourhood.
- Appealing and complementary mix of colours and materials.
- Extensive vegetation screening.
- Varied independent living apartment options.
- Ample basement parking to contain car parking onsite.
Resident and visitor car parking will be allocated within basement levels. The ratio of car parking to apartment types will comply with Council requirements. Staff car parking is provided within the basement.
Just like our other retirement living communities, we expect resident car use to be infrequent. Many residents will walk to local shops and make use of convenient public transport. For most residents, walkability and access to New Farm’s shops, services, the local bowls club and New Farm Park and other destinations, will be a key drawcard.
Your feedback
During this planning phase we are keen to discuss this project with you.
Please complete our online survey or email the project team at: contact@newfarmboltonclarke.com
Community information sessions were held in early December 2022.
