Brisbane's old Irish Club will be converted into a seven-cinema theatre complex after plans for the heritage-listed Tara House were unanimously passed by the council's planning committee on Tuesday.
The plans for the Elizabeth Picture Theatre, which were revealed by Fairfax Media last September, were submitted by Stephen and Peter Sourris, the brothers behind the successful restoration of New Farm's Village Twin cinema, now known as New Farm Six.
The Sourris brothers planned to transform Tara House, which ceased to be home to the Queensland Irish Association in 2015, into a seven-theatre cinema complex.
The ornate upstairs ballroom would be converted into the main 121-seat cinema room without changing the original room layout.
The other six cinemas would range in size from 18 to 57 seats.
The proposal was endorsed by both Liberal National Party and Labor councillors, along with Greens councillor Jonathan Sri.
City planning chairman Julian Simmonds (LNP) said it was an "excellent result" for a landmark building that had stood unoccupied since the collapse of the Irish Club.
"This is exactly the kind of clever reuse of heritage buildings that we want to see, where we're not only retaining the heritage fabric, but we're actually improving it as a result," he said.
Labor councillor Shayne Sutton lamented the loss of the nearby Regent cinema in 2011, along with much of its distinctive and irreplaceable character, for a since-abandoned office tower project.
"Only a couple of years ago, the Regent cinema closed its doors because it wasn't viable and now we've lost that heritage," she said.
"I think it's great what (the Sourrises) are doing here, but you kind of go ..."
Cr Simmonds interjected: "It shows it takes the right operator."
Cr Sutton: "Yeah, It does."
Local central ward councillor Vicki Howard (LNP) said the Sourris family had done a "most amazing" job at New Farm and they were well suited to do the same to Tara House.
"To see that this is happening again in Elizabeth Street is truly a wonderful thing," she said.
"The building has a wonderful history and I know the Irish were very sad to have to leave, but I also know the Sourris family is happy to work with the community to make it truly a community area."
A condition of the approval would be the re-use of the building's heritage awning and street improvements, such as a new tree on Elizabeth Street.
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