Final decision on controversial Shafston House luxury apartment project now rests with Brisbane City Council

The Queensland government has paved the way for the construction of a 15-storey luxury apartment tower on the historic river-front grounds of heritage-listed Shafston

House. The State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) issued its response to the proposed development at Kangaroo Point on Friday, giving it a green light, after the

developer revised his initial plans. Records show Kevin Pan from Burgundy Group Property Development bought the site for $15 million in 2020. The unimproved land value

of the picturesque 9,958m2 riverside block was $13.5 million when it was last valued in 2021. It is now up to the Brisbane City Council to make a final decision about the

controversial project. If approved, a 15-storey apartment building with 37 luxury three and four-bedroom units will be built on the Shafston House grounds, next to the

172-year-old state heritage-listed building, which is believed to be Brisbane's third-oldest surviving property. Plans for two two-storey homes on the northern edge of the

site have been scrapped. As part of its response, SARA has imposed conditions including that future uses of Shafston House itself be limited to a single dwelling and that

the grassed lawn area be kept free from development. The department lists several reasons for its favourable decision and said: "The development minimises adverse

impacts on the cultural heritage significance of the place by retaining the terraced lawn and existing views of Shafston House from the river and proposing a building of a height

and scale that is appropriately separated from the heritage buildings on the site."