The Royal Children’s Hospital site is set to be turned into a health hub, with Treasurer Tim Nicholls calling for registrations of interest from developers.
With patients being transferred to the new Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in South Brisbane by the end of the year, Mr Nicholls said it was time to determine how best to use the 4.8 hectare Herston site.
“We’re asking people to come to us and tell us how they think the site can be best used,” he said.
“We will look at what those proposals are, and work out what’s in the best interest of delivering a health precinct to Queenslanders.”
The site contains 23 buildings, with the Coles, Woolworths, surgical and foundation buildings making up the bulk of the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Artist impressions of what the health hub could look like include research facilities, apartments, cafes, fitness centres, day spas and other services.
Mr Nicholls said any development would have to preserve the heritage of the older Lady Lamington, Lady Norman and Edith Cavill buildings, with the potential for their “adaptive re-use”.
But he said at this stage everything else was on the table.
“We have simply specified that it has to be a health precinct, it must deliver health and ancillary health services, and it can be supported by some complimentary other uses," Mr Nicholls said.
“We would prefer it not come at a cost to government, but we’ll look at what the registrations of interest say.”
The registrations of interest process is open until August 15.
