By Susan Schwartz
One of Brisbane’s earliest street-based precincts is about to undergo a major transformation.
Three new architecturally designed developments will provide a blend of high-end apartments, ground-floor food and beverage, and retail offerings on Racecourse Road in Ascot-Hamilton.
The developments are The Gallery by GRAYA at 63-71 Racecourse Road and 12 Balowrie Street, The Windermere at 77 Racecourse Road (formerly IGA), and 128 Racecourse Road (next to Grill’d),
Gelato Messina is set to be one of the first tenants at The Windermere, while Italian restaurant Corbett & Claude and Idle bakery (formerly Agnes bakery) are also rumoured to be opening when the development is completed towards the end of next year.
The current shops on Racecourse Road from Italian Plate to Milani have been marked as a future development site on the GRAYA development application, and are understood to have not been sold at this stage.
Lauren Holland, owner of Joli Boutique, one of the first retailers to open on Racecourse Road in the 1980s, said the new developments would help rejuvenate the area and boost the night scene.
“A lot of people don’t realise that Racecourse Road is still a destination where people come from all around Brisbane to shop and eat.” Ms Holland said.
“People often compare it to James Street, which is unfair, because Racecourse Road can never be a James Street.
“James Street is owned by a couple of families and all of the stores have to contribute to their marketing budget.
“But Racecourse Road has always been a strip shop precinct, with an independent vibe, so it’s a completely different concept.”
The development application for the GRAYA project is for a 3,614sq m site at 63-71 Racecourse Road, and 12 Balowrie Street.
Named The Gallery, it will deliver eight retail tenancies on the ground floor, plus 37 three- and two-bedroom apartments across four storeys which are expected to be on sale by early next year.
From wellness to food, boutique grocers, to wine bars, the ambition is to bring a refined and refreshed offering to the area, GRAYA Director Rob Gray said.
“There’s long been a clear demand in Hamilton for a lifestyle precinct that combines luxury apartments with the type of vibrant, boutique retail we’ve seen delivered in places like James Street,” Mr Gray said.
“The Gallery is our response to that demand.
“Hamilton has been a major part of our story for more than 10 years – we know this community, so we’re proud to be the ones bringing that vision to life.”
One of the retailers to be affected by the GRAYA development is Newsagent Tanya Agnihotri, who said she first heard the news when a customer told her the block had been sold for redevelopment.
“The news was sudden and totally out of the blue. Our contract says the landlord must give us six months’ notice, but we’ve not heard anything yet,” Ms Agnihotri said.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to do yet, or where we will go but we are looking at all of our options as I’m sure the rent for anywhere new will be a lot more expensive, and some of the retailers in this block have just invested in totally new fit-outs.”
Brisbane Racing Club chairman Richard Morrison, who also runs his own project consulting business on Racecourse Road, said the precinct was mixed-use and needed good quality, high-end offerings to add to the mix of family restaurants.
“This will make it harder for traditional businesses that cannot afford higher rents to position themselves in these locations,” Mr Morrison said.
“There is still demand for family dining, and there are not many options so it will be good if both can co-exist.
“Racecourse Road has been in the doldrums for a few years for multiple reasons – rents have been difficult to sustain since COVID hit, with changes in people shopping online instead of going to stores.”
He said the area still needed essential services, but the food and hospitality industry would be driving the new retail development.
Mr Morrison said Racecourse Road was well positioned in an attractive corridor between the airport and CBD.
“Not everyone wants to go to the valley or city. Racecourse Road is more accessible, especially for parking,” he said.
“Having the right tenants will draw people here, as it has done in the past.”
The construction of The Windermere by Silverstone developments is expected to be completed by late 2026.
It will include 1,250 square metres of boutique, high-end retail and 36 luxury apartments set across five storeys.
The 128 Racecourse Road development is also a mixed-use proposal to bulldoze the current 1970s style four-storey block of brick units.
It will be replaced with five storeys that includes 199 square metres of ground floor shop and office space; plus seven apartments, including a penthouse and communal rooftop.
