Major overhaul proposed for Brisbane’s iconic Wintergarden precinct
An iconic CBD shopping centre is being eyed off for a long-awaited, pre-Olympics glow-up.
Under a proposed redevelopment, Wintergarden shopping centre on Queen Street Mall will be partially demolished and rebuilt.
Draft plans submitted to Brisbane City Council include a walkway from Elizabeth Street to the Queen Street Mall and a refurbishment of the iconic InterContinental Hotel, the only hotel designed by Australian modernist architect Harry Seidler.
The proposed layout would see three retail levels under the hotel removed to make way for two floors connecting Queen and Elizabeth streets and a reconfiguration of the hotel’s existing porte cochere.
IFM plans to usher in a whole new look for Wintergarden by giving its facade a facelift that will see the removal of the store’s signature illuminated butterfly screening.
The butterflies, powered by 24,000 LED lights, were unveiled when Wintergarden was last renovated in 2012.
As part of the new look Wintergarden, the screening would be removed to reveal the original 1982 brick facade.
“We’re committed to developing a world-class, mixed-use precinct in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD,” an IFM Investors spokesperson said.
“Our application is a result of a rigorous design and planning process that we believe will deliver the best outcome for the precinct, the community, as well as our clients and the working people they represent.”
Expanded mixed-use vision for CBD site
If plans are approved by council, IFM also intends to build offices over the new-look Wintergarden mall and construct more offices, a hotel and residential apartments on the site of the old Regent Theatre on Elizabeth Street.
Currently, Wintergarden sits at 13,951 square metres and is anchored by Mecca, Strike and Goodlife.
When it opened in 1982, the shopping centre was the place to be and was home to Brisbane’s first food court.
But a lot has changed since Wintergarden’s 1980s heydays, said William McIntyre, retail commercial agent at Blue Commercial.
“It’s well past its glory days,” he said. “It used to be quite busy, and it’s sort of been progressively getting quieter over the past couple of decades.
“Basically, COVID put a hold on all foot traffic and all retail shopping in person. Everyone sort of shifted online.
“But what we’ve seen is a lot of people have started to come back and actually demand that experience now.
“So, we’re seeing a lot more foot traffic return, and I think Wintergarden is probably well positioned to benefit from that.”
Streamlined layout to boost pedestrian flow
McIntyre said the plans to make Wintergarden more pedestrian-friendly should be well received by shoppers.
“It’s a much more efficient layout,” he said. “Having access straight through the centre will be very beneficial for foot traffic, and they’re actually decreasing the overall floor area, which is probably a positive thing.
“I think the design’s a lot more modern and a lot more user-friendly.”
Retail figures from CBRE show Brisbane’s retail vacancy improved in the past six months of 2025, reaching 17.5 per cent.
Permanent 50-cent public transport fares and a host of new infrastructure and transport projects ahead of the 2032 Olympics have helped ease vacancy rates.
If approved, the proposed revamp of Wintergarden could become a watershed moment for other CBD retailers weighing up renovation return on investment, McIntyre said.
“Everyone wants to see a lively CBD and Brisbane especially, we’re probably one of the most positive CBDs in Australia,” he said.
“We’ve got one of the strongest office markets, vacancy’s pretty low, and we’re seeing a lot of fringe office tenants moving back into the CBD.
“I think a lot of people in the CBD will be sitting back and seeing how it plays out. I know there’s a lot of cautious owners in there.
“They sort of want to see whether they’re going to get the return on the spend that they would be pumping into a centre.”
