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Domino's Site (80 Loudon Street)
Development application A006686981 at 80 Loudon Street, Sandgate was originally approved at four storeys, then amended to six storeys and approved under performance-based planning despite exceeding the height limit in the City Plan (four storeys).
What has happened so far
This site between Loudon Street and Rainbow Street in Sandgate, occupied for years by an unappealing building informally known as the Domino’s building, has been the subject of Development Application A006686981 to Brisbane City Council. The full suite of design documents, correspondence and public submissions is available on Council’s DA tracking portal.
The sequence of events has been:
- The original DA was for four storeys, which is within the maximum building height set by the District Centre zoning and the Sandgate Neighbourhood Plan (both of which form part of the City Plan).
- An amended DA was then lodged proposing six storeys (plus rooftop pool and amenities), and with a different mix of apartments (some one bedroom apartments being included instead of two or three bedroom apartments, having the effect of boosting the number of apartments overall).
- The amended six storey version was recently approved by Council under Queensland’s performance-based planning framework - the mechanism that allows a proposal to be approved even when it exceeds the numerical limits in the zoning code, provided Council accepts that it still meets the “overall outcomes” of the relevant codes (see our Development Applications overview).
Public submissions
Because the second DA (for six storeys) exceeded the allowable height, it was impact assessable which meant (amongst other things) there was a public submission period. This took place towards the end of 2025.
Council received a substantial volume of public submissions on the amended DA. We crunched the numbers:
- 40 opposed
- 33 in support
Of the 33 supporters, only 7 explicitly engaged with the increase from four to six storeys. The remaining supporters spoke in favour of the development in general terms. That distinction matters, because the four-storey version was already approved and not in dispute; what was being notified for public comment was the additional height and the changed unit mix.
Key argument raised
A key theme amongst those opposing the DA was that once Council approves one building over the height limit, it cannot credibly refuse the next one, and the numerical limits in the City Plan effectively cease to operate. There were a number of comments along the lines of, if this is approved then does the City Plan even mean anything.
Council’s response to the submissions
As best we can tell, Council does not provide feedback to submitters on what role, if any, public submissions play in DA decisions, and did not provide any feedback in this case. We will be questioning Council about this.