GRAYA has received development approval for Silk, its riverfront project at 16-18 Sandford Street, St Lucia. The approval clears the way for one of the suburb’s most significant boutique residential addresses, on a tightly held bend of the Brisbane River.
Occupying a defining bend of the river, the 810sqm site holds a northern aspect over Orleigh Park to the Brisbane CBD skyline. The approval delivers 16 split-floor and 6 full-floor residences across 15 levels, designed and to be built by GRAYA. The breadth of river frontage and dual direction views the bend affords are increasingly difficult to secure across Brisbane’s riverfront, underpinning the long-term significance of the location.
The approved design places weight on scale, privacy and outlook rather than yield. Residences have been planned as permanent homes, with proportion, separation and river orientation carried through. Buyers in this market are not seeking a typical apartment product. They are seeking the scale and privacy of a private home, with the ease of apartment living and far less to maintain. Genuine riverfront development sites in St Lucia are almost exhausted, and approval allows construction planning to begin without delay.
GRAYA recently completed ARC in Toowong as builder for developer Spyre, delivering the project through challenging site conditions on the banks of the river. Building on a constrained riverside site is the same execution challenge Silk presents, and it is one GRAYA has already met on the same stretch of the river. Silk further strengthens GRAYA’s portfolio across Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It sits alongside projects including Enclave, The Gallery, Coral and Ripple, reflecting the company’s focus on established locations and design-led residential projects.
GRAYA has also recently submitted a development application for The Silo, a proposed $700 million mixed-use project in Brisbane’s James Street precinct and the next major development in its pipeline.
Development Details
Project: Silk
Site Area: 810sqm
Building Height: 15 storeys
Apartment configuration: 16 split-floor residences and 6 full-floor residences
Total Units: 22 apartments
8 x 2-bedroom units
14 x 3-bedroom units
Levels
Four basement levels for parking and services
Ground level with lobby, gym, and landscaped communal areas
Levels 1–8: Two apartments per floor (2-bed and 3-bed mix)
Levels 9–14: Full-floor 3-bedroom apartments
Rooftop: Swimming pool, dining areas, lounge spaces and wellness/recreation areas
Car Parking: 60 spaces (55 resident, 5 visitor)
Bicycle Parking: 32 spaces
Communal Space: 615m² across ground and rooftop levels
Deep Planting: 85sqm (10.4%)
Total Landscaping: 422sqm (51.6% of site)
The approval follows sustained buyer demand across GRAYA’s riverfront and Gold Coast portfolio, reinforcing its position in Brisbane’s premium riverfront apartment market. GRAYA designs, develops and constructs its projects under a single point of accountability, from first drawing through to aftercare.
Rob Gray, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, GRAYA, states, “St Lucia is one of those suburbs people do not want to leave. They know the river, the trees, UQ, the golf course, Toowong and Indooroopilly, and that familiarity is hard to replace. True riverfront opportunities here are exceptionally scarce”.
“What we have designed at Silk is a way to stay in the suburb people love, with the scale and privacy of a private home and far less to maintain. This is not typical apartment product. It is a proper home on the river, and that is exactly what this market has been missing”.
Andrew Gray, Co-founder & Managing Director, GRAYA states, “Genuine riverfront sites of this quality in St Lucia are not something that comes up regularly. The approval removes a substantial layer of execution risk, and the location underwrites demand in a way very few inner-city sites can. The fundamentals here are as strong as anything we have assessed in Brisbane”.
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Application Information and References
Application lodged: 16 March 2026
Address: 16–18 Sandford Street, St Lucia
Council reference: A006976258
Zoning: High Density Residential
Neighbourhood Plan: Toowong-Indooroopilly District
Architect: GRAYA
Landscape architect: Urbis
Town planner: Mewing Planning Consultants
Interactive Image: Google Streetview and Aerial
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