Vacant block of land 200 metres from Brisbane city centre up for sale

A empty block of land has hit the market in Brisbane, one of the few remaining in the growing inner-city ring.

The 253 square metre block at 43 Mein Street was the closest piece of vacant land to the CBD, Ray White Spring Hill principal Sam Mayes said.

“You cannot get closer and it won’t happen again,” Mr Mayes said. “I never get blocks of land in Spring Hill, ever.”

Developer Derek Gillespie bought the land more than 17 years ago for $200,000, and planned to build himself an office block with a penthouse apartment on top.

“I kept the development application open for 10 years, I just kept extending it every four years,” Mr Gillespie said. “But over time, my plans have changed and I am moving in a new direction now.”

Mr Mayes said that since listing the property, he’d had a steady stream of inquiry.

“We’ve had all sorts of people on this one,” he said. “We’ve had buyers from the internet, we’ve had old clients, locals.

“We’ve had architects, people looking to build a dream home close to the city, people inquiring about what developments on they can do on the land.”

The block was zoned as a district centre, which Mr Mayes said opened the land up for several different uses. 

“It’s quite open. It could be residential home, it could be a commercial building,” he said. “People say things are unique all the time but this honestly is, you’ll never get an opportunity like this again.”

Mr Gillespie said leaving the block empty had generated a lot of interest over the years, and people often came to him with ideas for the patch of dirt. 

“I’ve been approached over the years by several architects who could see the potential for the site but I’ve always said it wasn’t for sale,” he said.

The land will be auctioned on March 25.