Developer plans to demolish and rebuild Brisbane's Wintergarden mall

Thu 9 Jul 2026 at 4:26pm

Thu 9 Jul 2026 at 4:26pm

In short:

Developers want to demolish and redevelop the interior of Brisbane's Wintergarden shopping centre.

The proposal would create a walking link between Elizabeth Street and the Queen Street Mall.

What's next?

The application is pending Brisbane City Council approval.

Developers have lodged plans to knock down and rebuild inside the Wintergarden shopping centre in Brisbane's main street.

The developer IFM has submitted plans to demolish the "fragmented" interior of the Queen Street Mall shopping centre and replace it with two levels of shops.

The simpler, two-level layout would create a pedestrian link connecting Elizabeth Street to the Elizabeth Street mall.

The plans include scrapping the iconic butterfly screen out the front and restoring the old brick facade behind it.

A new ground level shopfront would be built along Elizabeth Street, under the InterContinental Hotel.

The hotel lobby would open directly onto the arcade, but the towers would be unchanged.

In its application to Brisbane City Council, the developer says the site would improve foot traffic to the Brisbane mall.

"The proposed development provides for the revitalisation of the existing retail under the InterContinental Hotel to reinforce the identity of Queen Street Mall as the premier retail precinct in Brisbane," IFM said.

"The proposed scheme will not only enhance the site's long-term performance but also generate significant economic benefits and revitalise the broader retail precinct as a vibrant mixed-use destination."

Retail ghost town

Retail analyst Catherine Michael said Wintergarden used to be a thriving shopping destination, but foot traffic had slumped significantly over the decades.

There was an attempt to redevelop the site in 2012; however, Ms Michael said it was still a far cry from its glory days in the 1980s and 90s.

"Covid came and hit, and it's never quite regained that vibrancy that they were aiming for," Ms Michael said.

"In 1982 when it was developed ahead of the Commonwealth Games it was a really modern and stylish place to go shopping."

Ms Michael said she was optimistic that the new, more walkable design would bring customers back to that part of the city.