Townsville City Council has approved Conrad Gargett’s design for a new home for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the first stage of the wider Hive development.
To be built opposite the Reef HQ aquarium in central Townsville, the five-storey office building will have a gross floor area of 6,472 square metres and incorporate a mixture of office space, retail and service industries, with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as the main tenant.
A shared pedestrian and vehicular laneway will also be constructed, providing access from The Strand through to Flinders Street.
Townsville deputy mayor Mark Molachino said the development would be a welcome addition to the eastern end of Flinders Street.
Hive stage 1, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority office by Conrad Gargett.
“There’s no doubt that this end of Flinders Street has been ready for development for some time and I am delighted that this project is coming to fruition,” he said.
“Council’s planning team have undertaken a thorough assessment of the application and given it the green light, subject to a number of conditions covering issues such as landscaping, car parking and footpath upgrades.”
With masterplanning by Conrad Gargett, the Hive development is a multi-stage “placemaking” project covering around 18,000 square metres.
Future stages may include a concert hall and convention centre; renovation of the state heritage-listed Queen’s Hotel; a new hotel; residential apartments; office space; facilities for tertiary education, marine and tropical science research, tourism, and medical and allied health; and an Indigenous art gallery.
The developer behind the project, Gleeson Group, will tender for a builder for the project in the coming months, with construction expected to begin in mid-2022.
