Big plans for new student digs

Plans have been submitted for a seven-storey purpose-built student accommodation building on vacant land in a residential street at Petrie. 

Plus Architecture’s proposal, lodged with Moreton Bay City Council, is on 3100sqm at 47 Old Dayboro Rd and would be home to about 300 beds.

The application says it aims to “support the UniSC campus under The Mill Moreton Bay Priority Development Area by increasing the supply of high-quality student accommodation”.

It has a ground floor area of 2913sqm and if approved, the development, with room for a business at ground level, will be about 1km from the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) Moreton Bay campus.

Petrie Village shopping centre would also be around 350m from the site with other retail outlets and public transport links.

Roof-top pool

The accommodation has been designed by Plus Architecture to “ensure comfort and convenience for the students”.

State-of-the-art facilities include a panoramic rooftop pool, entertainment and green spaces as well as modern amenities.

The brick building, which Plus Architecture says matches the residential neighbourhood, will also have a “local business” operating on the ground floor.

The stepped building is to allow light, wind and solar in and avoid a dark courtyard environment.

"Our vision celebrates the vibrant and creative essence of what it means to be a student," Plus Architecture Principal Chrisney Formosa says.

“Imbued with youthfulness and dynamism, the space has been designed to surpass traditional expectations and foster a profound sense of community and well-being,”

“Our design aims to provide an enduring architectural legacy that will both enhance student life and enrich the local community, setting a new benchmark for student accommodation in Queensland and beyond."

On Council’s DA Tracker website, the plan is for 151 standard studios, four premium studios that are Disability Discrimination Act compliant, 23 two-bed and 25 four-bed clusters.

There would also be a rooftop communal open space and areas for study, exercise, recreation and dining.

The lower ground level would be home to games and cinema areas, with the upper ground level containing communal kitchen/dining and study/lounge spaces.

The development proposes “storage capacity” for 301 bicycles on the lower ground level.

It is also planned to “provide a total 105 car parks and one share car space” at the proposed student accommodation development.

That equates to one parking space per three beds with 74 on the basement level and 32 on the lower ground level.

A water tank and a shed are on the site, which is beside a block given development approval in 2018 for 20 dwellings and 15 units for short-term/rooming accommodation.

Another development application for a 296-bed student accommodation in Young St, Petrie, close to the railway station, is currently with Moreton Bay City Council.