First look: Core National Property Partners plans 15-storey Novaire apartments beside Albion station

Six years after the Albion Exchange precinct secured approval through the Planning and Environment Court, the latest proposal for the transit-oriented neighbourhood around Albion Train Station has been lodged.

Brisbane-based Core Property Partners has submitted plans for Novaire, a 77-apartment tower at 56-60 Albion Road, around 80 metres from the station.

The 1,842 sqm site adjoins the rail corridor and sits within Precinct 2 of the Albion Exchange Structure Plan, which allows buildings of up to 15 storeys. Novaire would reach that height, with its communal rooftop counting as an additional technical storey.

The building would comprise 55 two-bedroom and 22 three-bedroom apartments across 11 residential levels above a four-level parking podium. The upper floors are positioned to take in views towards the Brisbane CBD.

Architecture studio Prax has given the tower a sculptural, stepped form with extensive balconies and integrated greenery. An articulated podium is intended to soften its presence along Albion Road.

The design takes its cue from the suburb’s industrial past.

“Albion has always been a place of making. From quarry stone and milling silos, to the rhythm of rail and industry, it has long carried the energy of those who built and shaped Brisbane,” the architectural statement says.

The statement describes Albion as now emerging as a modern urban village, where heritage warehouses are giving way to new places to gather.

Much of the resident amenity is concentrated on the rooftop. Around 780 sqm of communal space, equivalent to 42 per cent of the site area, would include a swimming pool, sun lounges, a yoga lawn, barbecue and outdoor dining areas, a sauna, a gym and resident bathroom facilities.

Deep planting is concentrated along the southern boundary, creating a green buffer between the tower and the neighbouring Albion Overpass.

At ground level, a glazed residential foyer with communal seating would front Albion Road and connect directly to the North Brisbane Bikeway, which links towards the CBD, Toombul, Nundah and Chermside. Shade trees and additional planting are proposed along the northern edge of the site.

The plans include 116 car parking spaces and 97 bicycle spaces, with vehicle access via McDonald Street.

According to the application, the apartment mix is intended to appeal to a range of buyers. Two-bedroom apartments would suit first home buyers, while larger three-bedroom residences, some with additional study space, would suit downsizers and owner-occupiers.

The precinct-wide approval underpinning the project followed a Planning and Environment Court appeal in 2020. It established a framework for residential, commercial, retail and other uses around the rail corridor.

That approval is significant because the site’s underlying zoning is Character Residential. The earlier variation set alternative development provisions to allow the precinct to transition into a higher-density neighbourhood.

Core is busy across South East Queensland with The Paddington Collection, The Abbotsford, and BANSKII in Brisbane and The Sovereign Collection and Amali on the Gold Coast.