Demolition on Brisbane's Southside

Southside housing

Close to the city, Highgate Hill, West End, Woolloongabba, Annerley, Greenslopes, Coorparoo and Camp Hill hold dense pockets of Queenslanders and workers' cottages, much of it under the Traditional building character overlay. Further south, Holland Park, Tarragindi, Mount Gravatt and Salisbury have a mix of interwar and post-war timber homes. Sunnybank, Runcorn, Eight Mile Plains and Wishart were largely built in the 1960s and 70s with lowset brick and brick-veneer houses on slabs, which means more concrete to remove and a different demolition method.

Flood-affected land

Some of Brisbane's most flood-affected land is on the southside. Yeronga, Fairfield, Rocklea, the Oxley Creek catchment, Norman Creek around Stones Corner, and riverside West End were hit in 2011 and again in 2022. If you are rebuilding after flood damage, the new home will likely need to meet current flood-level requirements, and the demolition should be planned with that in mind. Water-damaged houses may also have mould, contaminated materials and weakened framing, which change how they are taken down.

Hills and access

The southside isn't all flat. Highgate Hill, Greenslopes, Camp Hill and Mount Gravatt have plenty of steep blocks, and houses perched high on a slope often need smaller machines and careful sequencing. Busy roads like Logan Road and the arterials through Annerley and Stones Corner mean truck movements are timed to avoid peak traffic.

Common southside jobs

• Flood-damaged home demolitions in Yeronga, Fairfield and Rocklea
• Knockdown rebuilds of post-war timber homes in Holland Park, Tarragindi and Mount Gravatt
• Brick and slab demolitions in Sunnybank, Runcorn and Eight Mile Plains
• Commercial and industrial demolition around Rocklea, Salisbury and Coopers Plains
• Bathroom and kitchen strip-outs in older character homes

Approvals and services

The southside sits within Brisbane City Council, so City Plan 2014 overlays apply alongside the building approval from a private certifier. Energex handles the power disconnection, and Urban Utilities requirements apply to water and sewer. If your property is further south, past Underwood and Kuraby, it may be in Logan City — see our Logan demolition page.

Dual occupancy and small lot redevelopment

Some southside suburbs, especially around Mount Gravatt, Holland Park West and parts of Sunnybank, see houses cleared for duplexes or townhouse projects. Those jobs usually need every footing, slab and old service line removed so the development's civil works can start on a clean site, and timing is often tied to a development approval rather than a single new home.

Trees, footpaths and neighbours

Southside streets are often lined with established street trees and narrow footpaths. Council street trees can't be damaged or removed without permission, and they can limit where a truck parks or where a new crossover goes. Neighbours are close in the older suburbs, so dust control and clear communication matter.