"Premier" plans for prime site

Plans for a “premier” hotel on one of Moreton Bay region’s most high-profile blocks of land, will take a significant step forward this week.

Tenders for the development at 28-40 North Lakes Drive, between The Hub and Westfield shopping centre, closed yesterday.

Moreton Bay City Council will today start working through the tenders. The process is expected to take six months.

A Council spokesperson said the 1.7-hectare site is a “premier development opportunity for a mixed-use hotel project”.

“Council is seeking proposals that align with our vision of delivering a medium to high-density project, featuring a 4-5 star hotel with cutting-edge conference and event facilities,” the spokesperson said.

“This represents a rare chance to collaborate with City of Moreton Bay in shaping a transformative development that will elevate both the local community and the tourism landscape.”

Additional guidelines within the tender document, on Council’s website, called for:

• An Iconic architectural design with a focus on exceptional visual impact.
• Best-practice subtropical design principles and outstanding landscape architecture
• Public design elements to meet and exceed local expectations and ambitions.

Initial plans were for a huge $250 million Laguna development with around 140 hotel rooms, office space, a public pool and retail outlets.

However, Council is now working to meet expected hotel room demand ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Mayor Peter Flannery said last year: “It’s nearly a decade since the initial development discussions around this prized piece of real estate at 20-40 North Lakes Drive and a lot has changed in that time.

“Right now, we need to construct 1000-plus hotel rooms just to meet demand - that’s the equivalent of eight new hotels - due to surging tourism demand!”