Plans Scrapped for Children’s Mental Health Clinic in Yeronga

In Yeronga, plans for a purpose-built children’s mental health clinic have been cancelled, with services redirected to leased locations in nearby suburbs. The decision ends years of planning for what was expected to become a central hub for young people needing specialised support in Brisbane’s south.

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Originally, a multi-million dollar project announced in 2020 was earmarked for a “Child and Youth Community Health Hub” in Yeronga. The facility was intended to house the Child and Youth Mental Health Service and a dedicated eating-disorders branch, consolidating existing services under one roof to improve accessibility and coordination of care.

The revised plan abandons the Yeronga build site, citing substantial cost escalations and lengthy delivery timelines. Reports indicated that construction would have taken several more years to complete, pushing delivery beyond 2027.

Under the new arrangement, 20 patient rooms will be established across two leased sites — 16 rooms at a location in Upper Mount Gravatt and four at a site in Taringa. The set-up cost is reported to be around $4.4 million, with first-year leasing costs estimated at approximately $600,000.

The original Yeronga design was reported to include 17 patient rooms, which means capacity will remain similar, though now split between two separate facilities. While the change allows services to be established sooner, community advocates say the relocation reduces the convenience and visibility of care that a single purpose-built site would have offered.

Local state MP Mark Bailey described the change as “secretive” and raised concerns about longer travel times for families who had expected a service in Yeronga. Those involved in the project explained that construction delays and rising costs had made the build unfeasible, and that leasing existing spaces would make care available sooner and closer to where many families already live.

The Yeronga site at 51 Park Road had been listed in departmental documents as part of the Child and Youth Mental Health Service network. Its inclusion in public records reflects earlier planning that identified the location as a key site for the region’s youth mental-health care.

Service providers and local schools have said that proximity is critical when arranging access to mental-health care for children. They noted that while leased sites can provide temporary relief, local hubs are important for ensuring that families can attend appointments consistently and without extended travel.

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Some local representatives and families have raised concerns that referral pathways and travel times may be affected by the change. The announcement did not include detailed wait-list figures, although analysts have generally found that accessible local hubs help reduce barriers to care.

Public records continue to list the Yeronga hub under in-progress commitments, though the delivery approach has now shifted to leased facilities. For families and practitioners in the area, the focus will be on whether the new arrangement can provide the same level of support that a dedicated, purpose-built site was expected to deliver.

Published 12-November-2025