The Meadowbrook block that was almost home to a private hospital is now for sale.
Last week, MyCity Logan revealed an investor scrapped plans for a $150M private hospital near Logan Hospital due to rising costs and a court-ordered rejection.
The 1.62ha site is already on the market and looking for new visionaries to take the reins.
“The site has been cleared and decontaminated and is development ready,” RWC Special Projects director Matthew Fritzsche said.
“The site is very well suited for a range of development options, including retail, commercial, medical, education, hotel, short stay accommodation, residential, and aged care uses.”
He said a “critical shortage” of residential accommodation in the broader south-east region, along with the land’s potential, meant the block was suited to accommodate “a number of major residential mixed-use schemes”.
“Logan is one of the major population growth localities in south-east Queensland, with the projected population to exceed 500,000 by 2036,” Mr Fritzsche said.
The property was previously home to the Riverina animal stockfeed mill, including iconic grain silos which were knocked down once the block was bought by investment fund Australian Unity.
Australian Unity announced plans for the 90-bed hospital in 2022 and received development approval from Logan City Council in June this year.
But the site’s neighbours, the Meadowbrook Shopping Centre and a parking station, appealed the approval.
They claimed the proposal did not provide enough parking spaces and the building was 15m too tall.
In late August, a judge agreed.
Instead of adjusting plans and trying again, Australian Unity pulled out of the project altogether.
The company’s healthcare property general manager Chris Smith said resolving the appeal process could take “up to 24 months and have a further significant cost impact to the project”.
He said the demand for private health services in the region remained strong.
“However, the ability to deliver a financially viable project has been challenging due to a number of factors, including the high cost of construction in Queensland and multiple challenges facing some private hospital operators,” Mr Smith said.
“Given the current construction environment in Queensland, we have determined the proposed Meadowbrook Private Hospital is not commercially feasible for the hospital operator, or in the interest of [The Australian Unity Healthcare Property Trust (AUHPT)] investors.
“Divestment of the site is considered to be in the best interests of AUHPT and will provide a purchaser with the opportunity to develop alternative uses for the site.”
