A large development site in Brisbane’s eastern bayside suburbs that has been owned and occupied not-for-profit organisation Silky Oaks Children’s Haven for the past 79 years has been sold.

The 25,059sq m site at 218 Manly Road in Manly West has been purchased by the Queensland Government following a highly competitive Expressions of Interest (EOI) campaign run by Knight Frank agents Christian Sandstrom and Sam Biggins.

The property has been used to deliver child safety related services for children and teens, housing and homelessness support for individuals and families, and is also occupied by a 57-place early learning centre, an opportunity shop and a general practice medical facility.

The majority of the services on the site will be relocated, with the exception of the early learning centre, which will remain on the property under the control of Silky Oaks until closure later in 2025.

Comprised of three allotments, the significant landholding at Manly West has immediate development potential.

Part of the site is currently zoned low density residential, while the early learning centre is zoned CF4 community facilities. Due to the size and location of the property, there is potential for a wide range of land uses (STCA).

Mr Biggins said the EOI campaign for the property was highly competitive, with local and interstate purchasers expressing interest.

“There were 19 bids during three rounds of bidding, including several cash unconditional bids,” he said.

“Given the development potential of the site we had strong interest from developers looking at uses including residential, aged care, childcare and health care.

“The site is ideally suited to medium-rise projects and will likely be redeveloped in time by the Queensland Government.”

Mr Sandstrom said the Manly West property was in a prime location for numerous development options.

“It is close to plenty of amenity including parkland and the Manly West State School, with which it shares an approximately 245 metre boundary,” he said.

“Being in a bayside suburb, the property, which is on a ridgetop, offers views overlooking Moreton Bay to the east and the Brisbane CBD to the west.

“Buyer appetite for well-located development sites in Brisbane is strong and developer sentiment has improved further recently with the reduction in the cash rate.”