Plans have been submitted for an ambitious mixed-use development at the corner of Sandgate Road and Junction Road in Clayfield, promising to transform the local landscape with a 24/7 food and drink outlet, complete with a drive-thru and outdoor dining area.
The proposed development, designed by Verve Building Design, aims to revitalise the site at 830-832 Sandgate Rd and 139 Junction Rd. The plans call for the demolition of the existing single-storey commercial building fronting Sandgate Road to make way for the new complex.
Photo credit: Verve Building Design
The development is set to retain and repurpose an existing building, dubbed Building A, which will offer 835 square metres of gross floor area. This space will be divided among various uses, including 291 sqm for medical and healthcare services, 51 sqm for office space, 79 sqm for a food and drink outlet, and 414 sqm dedicated to five two-bedroom residential units.
Photo credit: Verve Building Design
A new structure, Building B, will house the primary food and drink outlet, spanning 248 sqm, complemented by a 50sqm alfresco dining area. The development also includes provisions for ample parking, with 46 car spaces, five motorcycle bays, and a dedicated ambulance space. The drive-thru facility will accommodate up to 10 vehicles.
In a nod to environmental considerations, the plans incorporate 508 sqm of landscaping, resulting in a total site coverage of 27.4%. Additionally, 214 sqm will be dedicated to road improvements.
A key feature of the development application is a new slip lane and vehicle entrance from Sandgate Rd, providing access to basement parking, a loading area, and ground-floor parking spaces. The existing Junction Rd vehicle access will be retained, while new pedestrian access and the drive-thru will be situated along Sandgate Rd and at the intersection corner.
The developers are seeking approval for round-the-clock operations, seven days a week, potentially bringing new life to the area during both day and night.
Eyewitness Nicholas reported that four youths drove the stolen BMW X5 involved in a high-speed car chase through Clayfield on Thursday, May 4. The incident caused disruptions along Sandgate Road and endangered the lives of bystanders.
The chase involved nine police cars, which provided ground cover, and a PolAir helicopter, which provided aerial support.
“They almost ran into me and went into the side of my van, and they got bolt cutters in the front seat,” Nicholas remembered.
Although his vehicle sustained some damage, Nicholas himself was lucky to escape unscathed.
The incident raised concerns about the growing number of car thefts and reckless driving in the area. Expect official sources to release further updates and details on the incident soon.
Sandgate Road stretches 13.1 kilometres through various suburbs. In Clayfield, it is located at the Clayfield-Nundah boundary and crosses the Doomben-Pinkenba railway line through an overpass.Did you know that the original Sandgate Rd is not exactly the Sandgate Rd that we now know?
Designated as State Route 26, this major road is divided into four or six lanes and leads to Junction Road from Clayfield, to get to Hendra or Wooloowin, and Oriel Road, to get to Ascot. Aside from Clayfield, Sandgate Rd also traverses Albion, Nundah, Virginia, Boondall, and Deagon.
Bonney Ave: Old Sandgate Road
European settlers were already living along Sandgate Road as early as 1838 but the original access to get to Albion was a few miles off, in a street now known as Bonney Ave, which joined Jackson Street in the Eagle Junction area. At that time, this old Sandgate Road was the main link to Nudgee.
The area was often plagued with floods, causing extreme inconvenience and hazard to resiidents and traders, especially during the wet season. Travellers had to get off their wagons and row their produce or baggage across in narrow flat-bottomed boats to continue with their journey.
Soon enough, local demand raised a need to re-route the road to a “new” Sandgate Road, sometime in the 1870s.
To make sure that all concerns were considered, the location and route of the new Sandgate Road was repeatedly surveyed and much deliberated nearly a full decade before it came to be.
Initially, it started along the stretch of Gregory Street, passing through Clayfield in the northeast beyond the site of what’s now known as the Clayfield Railway Station. During this time, the railway had not even been surveyed yet. The railway would be established decades later.
New Sandgate Road circa 1910 Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland
The land where the new Sandgate Road finally came to pass was bought from William Widdop, Theodor Franz, J. G. Wagner, R. Curtis, and Kate Falkner. The deeds were sub-divided, disposed and signed by 1877.
Upon its establishment, the new Sandgate Road became a major route for residents of Clayfield and the surrounding districts, as well as for travellers coming from the river, the Eagle Junction, and the Racecourse Station (Ascot Station), who were headed to Brisbane CBD.
Photo Credit: State Library of QueenslandPhoto Credit: State Library of Queensland
The road had a peculiar, sharp, angular turn near Junction Road, where it veered away from a large paddock that could not be removed without the permission of an owner who could not be located.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Road planners also did not anticipate the increasing traffic that commuters had to endure along Sandgate Road until the Hornibrook Highway opened in 1935. Further east, the Gateway Arterial was constructed to ease the pressure and congestion in the area.
What Happened to the Old Sandgate Rd?
The old Sandgate Road was renamed Bonney Ave for Mrs Maude Rose Lores Bonney, a pioneering Australian aviator, who was born in South Africa, educated in Melbourne, and then married Harry Barrington Bonney, a leather goods manufacturer. The couple settled in Bowen Hills.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Mrs Bonney had always been interested in aviation. She took lessons in secret until she got her pilot licence in 1930. When her husband found out, he bought her “My Little Ship,” a de Havilland DH.60 Gypsy Moth.
Mrs Bonney had four major solo fights. She recorded the longest one-day flight to be ever achieved by an Australian female pilot when she left Brisbane on Boxing Day in 1931 at 4:30 a.m. to arrive in Wangaratta, Victoria at 7:20 p.m. — just in time to spend dinner with her father.
She was also the first woman to circumnavigate the Australian mainland by air and the first woman to fly from Australia to England. She earned her commercial licence in 1932 and also served on the Women’s Voluntary National Register of Queensland during World War II.
Mrs Bonney retired from flying in 1949 when her eyesight started to fail. She died at the age of 96 in 1994.
