A new health hub development planned for a north Brisbane suburb will house RSL Queensland and Mates4Mates, offering dedicated support services to northside veterans and their families.
Brisbane developers Rogerscorp have lodged a development application with Brisbane City Council for a major two-storey building at 274 Stafford Road, in the inner-north suburb of Stafford.
Under the proposal, RSL Queensland and Mates4Mates would be the anchor tenants.
The development would allow Mates4Mates to operate support services on the 1,500-square-metre top floor, with other health services, separate to the veterans' organisations, on the ground floor.
RSL Queensland president Tony Ferris said the planned services hub would target the area's high number of veterans and their families.
"RSL Queensland and Mates4Mates will provide accessible in-person counselling, physical rehabilitation, employment support and mentorship support to current and former defence personnel and their families," Mr Ferris said.
"We are also proud to provide practical support, assistance and social connection to the families of veterans impacted by defence service."
Cinema history
Set in front of the Stafford Skate Centre, which recently closed, the site is currently occupied by several shops.
It is believed one of Brisbane's last remaining northside cinema buildings will be demolished for the development's car park.
Known as the Stafford Star or Topic Theatre, it operated in the 1950s and 60s. The building is currently occupied by a pet store.
Brisbane theatre buff Daniel Endicott made a submission on the development, arguing the building should be heritage protected as an example of Brisbane's cinematic history, although records about the cinema's history are scant.
Mr Endicott has previously lobbied to preserve the Regent Theatre in Brisbane's CBD, which was partially demolished to make way for a 40-storey tower, and the Lyceum, which now houses Hillsong's CBD campus.
"This is the last [old cinema building] on the northside that I'm aware of," he said.
Mr Endicott said he was concerned that, if demolished, another piece of Brisbane history would be lost forever, and he had made the submission to mark its importance to the suburb's cultural fabric.
Brisbane City Council planning chair Adam Allan said there were no heritage listings or overlays on the site.
"I completely understand residents have fond memories of this building as a cinema. Records show the cinema closed around 55 years ago and since then the site has had ongoing commercial and retail uses," he said.
The site was approved in 2007 for a 12-tenancy centre, but no work began.
An RSL Queensland spokesperson said the organisation was "working with the new building owner for advice on how it can pay homage to the site's local history".
