A long-running short-stay accommodation play next to one of Brisbane’s oldest pubs has been revised with a scaled-up proposal and a new operator in the wings.

Construction boss Brett Walker is behind the fresh plans for a 105-unit “apartment hotel” on a vacant portion of the site anchored by the Trade Coast Hotel at Pinkenba.

The proposal more than doubles the yield of an earlier iteration for a 40 dual-key Quest-branded accommodation scheme earmarked for the rear of the 13-lot holding fronting Eagle Farm Road and Neill Street.

According to the documents, the previous application progressed to the decision stage but was “withdrawn due to commercial reasons”.

“This application now proposes to progress a similar development proposal, albeit, with a different end operator,” a planning report lodged with the latest application said.

Architectural drawings of the new scheme by Verve Design Group indicate the proposed short-term accommodation would be operated under Veriu Group’s Melbourne-based Punthill Apartment Hotels brand.

The existing pub—formally known as the Pinkenba Hotel or “The Pink”—was rebranded after its $3-million makeover in 2020.

Dating back to 1910, it was originally established by Scottish immigrant Ellen Bain. It sits on the northern side of the Brisbane River in the heart of the city’s port area, about 12km north-east of the Brisbane CBD.

▲ A rendering of the Punthill Apartment Hotels-branded 105-unit short-stay accommodation development proposed for the Pinkenba site.

Property records show an entity linked to Walker, who heads BWC construction group, acquired the pub holding at 142-158A Eagle Farm Road and 10-24 Neill Street for $2.4 million in August 2007.

The latest revised proposal rising up to three storeys builds on a layered approval pathway for the site.

An initial 2020 approval enabled refurbishment of the existing hotel alongside a 20-room accommodation expansion, later amended in early 2024 to increase the yield to 38 rooms and lift building height. Construction of that component is already under way and will now form Stage 1 of the expanded scheme.

As part of the proposal, the 9617sq m holding would be subdivided into two lots to enable “each operation to be run independently”.

Overall, the short-term accommodation would provide a mix of studio, one and two-bedroom units.

Parking for 101 cars is planned across the site—61 allocated to the hotel and 40 to the new accommodation component.

▲ The first Pinkenba Hotel was established on the site in 1910.

“There is a demonstrated need for short-term accommodation in this location, with the underlying history of the site and direct adjoining sites in the Pinkenba Village Precinct outside the outcomes for low density residential zoning,” the documents said.

A needs assessment submitted in 2006 with a motel proposal for the site deemed the Pinkenba area in need of extra accommodation due to “increasing levels of business travellers servicing the rapidly developing industrial facilities around the airport”.

“It is noted that since this report was prepared, short-term accommodation in the immediate area has not increased whilst the industrial facilities, airport facilities and port facilities [have] significantly expanded over the past 20 years,” a previous application said.

“Additional accommodation in this location provides a non-residential use of service to not only the workforce associated with the surrounding industrial area, but also reinforces the future viability of the established uses in the area including the Trade Coast Hotel.”

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