Brisbane's Big Plans Face Delivery Test at Northshore Hamilton

Queensland has selected five development groups to transform one of Brisbane's last major inner-city riverfront parcels, but the announcement of 2,200 new homes at Northshore Hamilton has prompted as many questions as it has answered.

The 6.1-hectare site between Wharf Street and Theodore Street would accommodate 13 buildings under proposals from Red & Co, Joe Adsett Developments, Graya, Lancini and Greyburn. The three waterfront sites alone would deliver more than 1,300 homes, including a 50-bed hotel in Graya's proposal. Inland, Lancini is planning 484 homes alongside a 15,000 square metre shopping and commercial precinct, while Greyburn would add a further 402 dwellings across four medium-rise buildings. Parkland, a splash park and new pedestrian and cycling links are planned across the broader precinct.

The state government is committing $154 million to roads, sewerage, water infrastructure and a Wharf Street extension — funding originally earmarked by the former Labor government to prepare the site as the main athletes' village before the Crisafulli government redirected that role to the RNA Showgrounds.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie confirmed final contract negotiations were still under way when the announcement was made, and development applications had not yet been lodged. Subject to approvals, construction could begin from mid-2028, with residents potentially moving in from 2031 — meaning no obligation exists for the projects to be complete before the 2032 Olympic Games.

A central point of contention is the complete absence of any social or affordable housing requirement across the 2,200 dwellings. Preferences for affordable, retirement and aged care housing were quietly removed from the development scheme in November 2025 after businesses argued the provisions were hindering progress. Labor leader Steven Miles labelled the projects luxury housing for wealthy buyers, while Bleijie countered that Queensland needs all housing types and that apartment buyers may free up detached homes elsewhere. A separate North Shore project comprising 60 social and 141 affordable homes was announced in 2024, though it remains distinct from this development.

Transport is shaping up as a longer-term headache. The wider precinct is ultimately planned for around 14,000 homes and 24,500 residents, yet no new high-capacity public transport connection has been committed to. Economic Development Queensland says it will work with Transport and Main Roads on broader traffic planning, with possible additions to CityCat and CityGlider services flagged but nothing confirmed.

The project will also compete for skilled labour with housing, infrastructure and Olympic construction already underway across South East Queensland. Bleijie acknowledged the state would need additional skilled migrants to meet demand.

The announcement has renewed debate over North Shore's earlier rejection as a Brisbane stadium site. Concerns cited at the time included transport access, existing development and proximity to fuel storage facilities. Advocates note those same constraints now apply to a precinct planned for thousands of permanent residents and community facilities. The comparison has limits — a stadium must move tens of thousands of people in short, concentrated bursts while residential traffic spreads across the day — but the housing approval does strengthen calls for the government to release fuller detail on its stadium decision-making.

Northshore Hamilton is one front in a broader week of scrutiny for Greater Brisbane. Brisbane library workers have raised concerns that understaffing is affecting services and leaving employees more vulnerable when threatening behaviour occurs. International rowing bodies have challenged Brisbane 2032's proposed Fitzroy River venue in Rockhampton, where an Olympic accommodation shortfall is also emerging. A dispute over more than $30 million in Queens Wharf rates and fresh criticism of Olympic legacy consultation round out a week in which the gap between announcement and delivery is drawing sharper attention.