More than four years after flooding forced the former Toombul Shopping Centre to close, developers have revealed a new plan for the site that puts flood resilience alongside retail, housing, and public space.
Read: Toombul Revival Moves Closer With Development Application Imminent
Irvine Property Group has lodged a preliminary approval application for the former shopping centre site at 1015 Sandgate Road, Nundah, setting out a framework for a future mixed-use precinct.
The proposal follows the 2022 flooding that severely damaged the shopping centre. Mirvac later determined the centre was too expensive to repair and demolished it in 2024. Irvine Property Group, which purchased the site from Mirvac at the end of 2025, has outlined how the property could be progressively redeveloped while responding to its significant flooding constraints.
The application seeks preliminary approval for the masterplan, as well as approval for operational works including earthworks, drainage and stormwater. It does not approve a completed shopping centre or specific buildings. Instead, the preliminary approval would establish the planning framework to guide future development applications.
Building Around Toombul’s Flood Risk
Flooding is central to the new vision. The proposed masterplan includes a raised development platform for future buildings, streets and parking, while parkland along Kedron Brook would form part of the site’s open-space and flood-management approach.
The proposal includes upper and lower parkland along the brook, with the development material stating the redevelopment presents an opportunity to improve the site’s long-term flood performance and contribute to broader flood storage and mitigation outcomes.
The approach reflects the challenge of redeveloping a site beside Kedron Brook that has been significantly affected by regional flooding during major rainfall events.
The developers said the new framework is intended to establish how future growth can occur while responding to flooding constraints and changes to planning policy. Retail would remain a major part of the precinct, alongside proposed residential development sites, dining and other mixed-use opportunities.
The broader vision is intended to build on Toombul’s longstanding role as an employment, retail, community and transport destination while creating a new identity for the site.
Connecting The Site With Nundah
Transport and public access are also included in the proposed framework. The site is next to the existing Toombul Bus Interchange and close to Toombul railway station and Kedron Brook. The masterplan proposes pedestrian and cycling connections between the station and the brook, alongside new road and access arrangements across the precinct.
Public spaces would also be incorporated into the future development, with the vision including landscaped areas, recreation opportunities and places for people to gather.
The planning documents note that current planning provisions allow building heights of up to 12 storeys along Sandgate Road and up to eight storeys towards the eastern residential interface.
The current application does not approve specific building heights or final building designs. Detailed building forms, land uses and development staging would progress through subsequent applications.
A Framework For Future Development
The preliminary approval is intended to establish the framework for the site’s future redevelopment. Developers described the vision as a way to build on the site’s established role within the community while creating a precinct where people can live, visit, connect and spend time.
The current application establishes the site-wide planning framework, while individual buildings and detailed development outcomes would progress through later applications. The former shopping centre site has remained largely undeveloped since demolition, while the Toombul Bus Interchange continues to operate.
Read: Nundah Retail Plans Move Ahead For Former Toombul Shopping Centre Site
The application is an early planning step towards the site’s redevelopment, with the proposal to be assessed through the planning process. The next development applications will provide more detail about how the proposed retail, residential, public space and flood-response elements will take shape.
Published 8-October-2026
