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Boutique Hotel Near Prince Charles Hospital Proposed in Chermside

A new short-term boutique hotel with 148 rooms could soon rise in Chermside if Council approves the plan to build an eight-storey facility that could service visitors of the Prince Charles Hospital or nearby retirement villages.

Aside from the hotel, included in the proposal (DA A005563593) are a cafe, gym and pool, function and recreational spaces that will be useful to the community.

The actual site is on 523 Hamilton Road and 3-5 Zenith Avenue and will knock down three houses to make way for the hotel suites.

In behalf of Kedron Barr Pty Ltd, Mewing Planning Consultants said that this is a much-needed development.

“There are very few short-term accommodation options within Brisbane outside of the inner city area and airport and therefore this development presents the opportunity to broaden the short-term offering in a well-located position in proximity of the Chermside Principal Centre (employment/retail hub), the Prince Charles Hospital/St Vincent’s Private Hospital and other services that may benefit from access to short-term accommodation (i.e. the nearby Wheller Gardens Retirement Village and schools). There is a need for the development, at the yield proposed,” the planning consultants stated.

The application was lodged in October 2020 and Council has sought additional informational requests and updates to the plans, which downscaled the proposed 173 rooms to 148 and 69 car spaces to 62. The project has enlisted the Cottee Parker to design the building.

A Council decision on the boutique hotel could be made early this year.

Chermside Woman Gets $1 Instant Scratch-Its for Christmas, Wins $10,000

The odds of winning a major prize at a lottery might be one in a million but a Chermside woman recently had a “lotto holiday cheer” after getting a $1 Instant Scratch-Its ticket as a Christmas gift. Her unbelievable luck made her $10,000 richer!

Still unsure of her win, the unnamed woman received the official notice from The Lott a few days later. She then headed to the NewsExtra Chermside at Westfield Chermside to validate the good news.

“This win really is a great boost for me. It means a lot! It will help me a great deal and make a world of difference to me,” the woman said. “It certainly made for a wonderful Christmas and has got me looking forward to 2021.”

NewsExtra Chermside senior supervisor Mynetta Cash believes that they are quite a lucky outlet.

“Our last major win was actually in September,” Ms Cash said. We’ve had quite a few big wins. Hopefully we have even more major wins next year.”

At least 151 Instant Scratch-Its tickets have won the top prize in the last year, amounting to $11.8 million in total wins.

Meanwhile, the Chermside winner said she’s planning on splurging her prize money on something she has been putting off — a new toilet! She also plans on setting aside the rest of the money for a trip.

Upgrades to Rode Road Shopping Centre in Stafford Heights Near Completion

Enhancements and upgrades done to the Rode Road Shopping Centre are nearing completion following months of refurbishment work, promising a better dining destination and retail hub for residents of Stafford Heights, McDowall and Chermside West.

Peter Kneipp, Site8 Director and Property Manager of the Rode Road Shopping Centre, said that the revamped site’s completed new look will be unveiled in a matter of weeks.

Three new eateries will join Dum n Rum, Lanna House and Sushi Jun once the expanded venue opens. Among the operators that have expressed interest to open at the refurbished centre include an American ribs house, an Italian restaurant, a burger joint, an Asian dumpling eatery and a poke restaurant.

Salty’s Grill and Kova Coffee, on the other hand, retain their location at the original building across the new dining precinct.

Mr Kneipp said that a growing number of people living near the dining hub have been looking for variety and nighttime dining options, including evening food deliveries.

Some of these operators also have licence to serve wine and craft beer for customers looking for a nightcap. Part of the design improvements of the Rode Road Shopping Centre includes alfresco dining, which more customers have craved for in this new normal.

Meanwhile, the main building’s scale and structure have not been changed as the refurbishments have been mostly cosmetic. The general floor area of the centre, however, has increased with the extensions.

Short-Term Hotel on Hamilton Road, Chermside Proposed

Photo credit: Brisbane City Council //pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au

A development application for a short-term hotel on Hamilton Road, Chermside has been lodged.

To be situated at 3-5 Zenith Avenue and 523 Hamilton Road, Chermside, the proposed development will provide short-term hotel accommodation to tourists, travellers, or persons associated with adjacent Prince Charles Hospital and St Vincent’s Private Hospital.

Designed by Cottee Parker, the development comprises 173 rooms over eight (8) storeys and will provide suites, rather than self-contained units — a first in Chermside. The developers said that there are very few short-term accommodation options within Brisbane outside of the inner city area and Airport.

“The proposed development will directly advance the outcomes of both the zone and the neighbourhood plan. The intent of the development is to provide short term accommodation for medical professionals / workers, visitors and out patients (who may have ongoing appointments) associated with the adjacent Prince Charles Hospital / St Vincent’s Private Hospital,” the planners at Mewing Planning Consultants said.

Hamilton Road view – Photo credit: Brisbane City Council //pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au

The building’s design includes a sun shading, window box outcome across the façade, as well as finer grain vertical fins, a vertical green wall within the Zenith Avenue façade, vertical recessed elements and an open framed building cap.

Zenith Avenue view Photo credit: Brisbane City Council //pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au

The 8-storey hotel will also provide ancillary and exclusive guest and administration facilities at the ground level and on the hotel’s rooftop. Facilities will include manager’s office, cafe, function space, pool, gym, and a rooftop seating and breakout spaces.

There will also be provisions for landscaping, deep planting and open space. Within the front setback and along its side boundaries, deep planting covering a total of 406 sqm will be accommodated.

A total of 75 car spaces located within two (2) basement levels, including three (3) car share spaces, six (6) tandem spaces and two (2) PWD spaces will be provided.

The Prince Charles Hospital Emergency Services Expansion Fast-Tracked

The Prince Charles Hospital in Chermside will get an additional $3 million from the state government to fast track the expansion of its emergency services department.

Deputy Premier and Minister Health Steven Miles confirmed in a press briefing that the northside hospital will soon have additional beds, treatment spaces and better capacity for treating outpatient services.

Mr Miles said that this expansion will “future proof” The Prince Charles Hospital as demand in the region grows. The population serviced by the hospital is expected to increase in the next few years, especially among the over 70 years old.

“These projects will ensure the hospital continues to meet the current and future health needs of the Brisbane northside’s growing population. The ED expansion project will address the projected increase in ED presentations with more adult and paediatric treatment spaces, including resuscitation,” Mr Miles said.

The expansion will bring in additional jobs as well, boosting the region’s recovery plan following the pandemic.

Currently, The Prince Charles Hospital has 630-bed capacity and locals affirmed that it’s always full.

There is no projected start date of the expansion’s construction but Member for Aspley Bart Mellish said this needs to happen “as quickly as possible so we can meet rapidly growing healthcare needs here on Northside.”

Chermside Man Wins $1 Million After Playing Same Gold Lotto Numbers for 20 Years

A fortunate Chermside resident bought a Gold Lotto ticket at NewsExtra Chermside and woke up an instant millionaire following the draw on Monday, 14 Sept 2020.

The man said that he’s still recovering from a sleepless night because he could not believe his luck, he told The Lott.

“My wife and I saw we had won at about nine o’clock last night and we didn’t get much sleep after that,” the winner said.

The Chermside local is the lone winner from Brisbane of the $1 million prize money of Monday & Wednesday Gold Lotto draw. He said he’s been playing the same numbers for the last 20 years so this win has been unexpected.

His winning numbers were 31, 16, 23, 43, 1 and 24, with 18 and 36 as supplementary numbers.

“I can’t believe they’ve finally come up,” the man said. “It’s incredible. Honestly, I never thought this would happen, you hope, and you pray, but you never think you will actually win the lottery!”

The lucky Brisbane player will use his million-dollar prize for a trip to Easter Island if travel restrictions are eased off.

NewsExtra Chermside’s Shannon Hickey congratulated the winner, who becomes the 86th millionaire of the Monday & Wednesday Gold Lotto across Australia.

“We have sold plenty of division one prizes across our stores, and it’s always so exciting,” the store manager said.

Chermside Castle Sold for $880,000 to be Demolished for New Houses

Developers have snapped up an iconic Chermside castle for $880,000 at a recent auction and now they plan to bulldoze the Portuguese country villa-inspired home to make way for new houses.

Known as “The Castle” to locals, the house on 14 Ashley Rd, Chermside West, was designed by a Brisbane artist in the 1970s.

In 2013, Marcel Lelievre bought the property for $650,000 and has now sold it to father and son developers, Kevin and Mohammad Tabrizi.

Photo Credit: Dwight Colbert Ray White/Facebook

About 120 people came to see the house during its listing in June. The castle has 471 square metres floor area and stands at 1,012 square metres of land.

It has five bedrooms and three baths, as well as a spacious courtyard at the centre. Lelievre said that the courtyard was his favourite spot in the house because it’s serene and peaceful.

But the Tabrizi father and son plan to split the site into two blocks for new developments, after winning the auction, which took place at the courtyard.

Despite the Chermside castle’s charm and unique architecture, the Tabrizis specifically picked the property for its view of Moreton Bay from the top-level balcony.

“Vacant lots around Chermside West are hard to come by,” Kevin said. “It’s quite a unique position and we think there’s good underlying demand.”

What Really Happened to the Baby Saltwater Crocodile Found in Chermside?

A baby saltwater crocodile is now safely in the care of Queensland wildlife officers after a family stumbled upon it near the creek at the 7th Brigade Park in Chermside last Thursday.

The reptile, which is about 40 centimetres long, was badly dehydrated and distressed. It was definitely out of place at the suburban park.

Warren Christensen of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service facility in Moggill said that the juvenile estuarine crocodile was left in a “pretty bad way” by whoever was supposed to be transporting it.

Crocodiles might be common in the north side of the state but Mr Christensen said that the 7th Brigade Park in winter is not the place for such a young animal.

The wildlife official also said that had the crocodile not been found and contained then it would have posed an even bigger public threat in a few month’s time.

The family who stumbled upon the crocodile kept it inside an Esky when they transported the animal to the wildlife services’ facility in Moggill, where it is currently recovering in a pond.

Officials have a theory about what really happened to the animal. They think that the crocodile was meant to be raised and kept as a pet originally but it may have been left for dead at the Chermside park.

“Transporting wild animals – and in this case, a dangerous one – is completely unacceptable,” a representative from the Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) said. “Apart from being very cruel, doing so can cause serious issues such as the transmission of disease and introducing them into the unsuitable habitat.”

Queensland laws prohibit keeping crocodiles as pets but certain provisions will allow having the animals for education or farming purposes.

DES is going to re-home the baby saltwater crocodile, at the right time, in one of the wildlife centers southeast of the region. The department, however, is hoping to get more information about the animal. For leads, phone 1300 130 372.

Medical Centre Proposed in Chermside to Meet Demand in Area

Photo Credit: pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au

Construction company Cornerstone Building Developments is seeking approval for a three-storey medical centre with supporting retail uses at 425 Rode Road and 621 Gympie Road in Chermside.

The applicant is seeking to establish an integrated health service on the site which may include general medical practice, pathology and chemistry. It will also have a food and drink outlet for both staff and patients.

The subject site has an area of 2,663 sqm which will be reduced to approximately 2550 sqm, to allow the construction of Council’s possible future bikeway along Rode Road.

Photo Credit: pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au

Plans rendered by Aspect shows the “Chermside Health Hub” has been designed to provide a considered interface to adjoining residential properties. The subject site currently houses a used car dealership and three-storey residential apartment buildings to the north and east of the site.

The proposal is also seeking a total of 179 car park spaces. Car parking is provided across three basement levels, with a vehicle crossover to be provided towards the site’s eastern boundary on Rode Road in order to provide adequate sight distances and to avoid the disruption of Gympie Road’s arterial function.

Extensive research by the applicant reveals that the current utilisation of healthcare services in the community indicates there is a current demand for day hospital beds. The report also noted that there is long term demand for multiple new and expanding day hospital services to be located in the area.

“The site provides an opportunity to enhance the health and medical service provision to an area where existing health care services are lacking in both quality and quantity. The site meets all of the requisite needs identified by CBD,” RPS Group reported on behalf of the applicant.

Cornerstone is behind some health and medical centres across Australia, including North Lakes Specialist Medical Centre, Mackay Specialist Medical Centre and Canberra Specialist Medical Centre.

If approved, the General Practice and Pharmacy will operate from 6:00 am – 10:00 pm. All other uses would have conventional daytime hours. For full details about the proposed medical and health centre, see Council Reference A005364844.

3 Reasons To Join The Multicultural Taste Of The World Festival

Multicultural Taste Of The World Festival is back to celebrate another year of harmony in diversity. The annual cultural event is a must-never-miss as it reflects the true essence of Australia’s heterogeneity.

For 2020, the Multicultural Taste Of The World Festival will be taking place on the 14th of March at the 7th Brigade Park’s Kidspace Playground in Chermside. Here are three reasons why you have to join this celebration:

Variety of Food

The festival is a chance for you and your family to try out and experience the flavours of different food and delicacies. There will be no shortage of choices from the food stalls. Similar to the festival from previous years, expect to taste Asian, European and Mediterranean dishes, along with Australian delights.

Photo Credit: Brisbane Malayalee Association Inc./Facebook

Heaps of Entertainment and Activities

Visitors will be treated to all-day entertainment and activities whilst they hop from one food stall to the next. Local communities, groups and bands have prepared special numbers to showcase the beauty of their culture or home country. There will also be free workshops from local experts.

These musical numbers, performances and workshops serve as a bridging tool for people to see the uniqueness of Brisbane’s residents. To be more organised, the park will be divided into different zones so that everyone can enjoy their favourite areas. Kids and teenagers will also have their special zones for youth-centred activities.

Community and Fellowship

The Multicultural Taste Of The World Festival was organised by the Brisbane Malayalee Association (BMA) to foster goodwill and enhance the tradition and culture of the city’s diverse communities.

“We want to emphasize and celebrate our difference,” says BMA. “By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians from diverse backgrounds equally belong to this nation and enrich it.”

There’s no need to register to attend the festival. The party starts at 2:00 p.m. and by 8:00 p.m., a fireworks display will be capping off the celebration.