Category: News

Bicycle Queensland is on the hunt for biking bachelors, with the organisation’s 10-speed dating event oversubscribed with fit, female riders.

Held as part of Bike Week 2014, the two-wheeled take on the traditional dating technique involves a leisurely ride around the riverside and West End before finishing at a local café where you can chat and perhaps meet the rider of your dreams.

“It is a fun and light-hearted evening and certainly one of our most popular Bike Week events,” Bicycle Queensland CEO Ben Wilson said.

“There are 40 spots available and while there has been a strong uptake from the fairer sex, we’re in need of a few unattached blokes who are keen to meet other single riders.”

Mr Wilson said the Bike Week program – which runs from April 26 to May 4 – offered plenty for bike riders not looking for love.

“Regardless of whether you think you’d look good in lycra or your last bike had training wheels, Bike Week is all about jumping on a bicycle and giving it a go,” he said.

“With 25 activities on offer, most of which are free, there’s no excuse not to dust off your bike or borrow a friend’s and rediscover your love of cycling.”

Mr Wilson said the BDO Brisbane Coot-tha Challenge and the Great Brisbane Bike Ride gave riders looking to push their limits a choice of challenge over 30, 50, 75 or 110 kilometres.

“The BDO Brisbane Coot-tha Challenge is perfect for challenging yourself, or your mates,” he said.

“Every Coot-tha rider will battle the clock over the 2.3 kilometre 9 per cent climb up the mountain where PB’s, bragging rights and the climb record of six minutes and 29 seconds are all up for grabs.

“But if you haven’t sat in the saddle for a while, then the Great Brisbane Bike Ride is a great chance to stretch your cycling legs on a more leisurely route.

“There’s also “Closed Streets for Kids”, a new free event to get children and families riding a flat 5 kilometre course as part of the big rides day on Sunday May 4.”

Bike Week entries are now open. For more information about 10-speed dating, other Bike Week activities, or for a full event program head to www.bikeweek.bq.org.au.

Bike Week is partnered by the Queensland Government with support from BDO, Transcity Joint Venture and SCODY.

UPDATE: We just received this email from the West End Police, which states that the West End Police Station (see story below) has already started operating at it’s new premises in Vulture Street. Here’s the message:

As an addition to your recent story involving the relocation of West End Police Station, we would like to advise that we have now moved and are fully operational at our new premises located at 2/36 Vulture Street, West End. All telephone, fax and postal addresses remain the same. 

Would it be possible to include our new address as an addendum to your previous story? If you would like to contact West End Police for any clarification or comment, please refer any inquiries to our OIC, Acting Senior Sergeant Pat Humphrys. 

Regards,
Vanessa MANN
Acting Sergeant

The West End Police station in Boundary Street – 130 years old, and the oldest operating police station in the State of Queensland – is soon to close its doors for the last time, and operations moved to purpose built new premises in Vulture Street.

According to Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers, the move comes none too soon, as he has been agitating for its replacement for some time.

“When Jack Dempsey first became Minister I invited him here to West End and took him on a tour of West End police station to show him that not much had changed in the station’s 130 years of operation that made it a significant workplace health and safety concern for police.

“He immediately took on board my request on behalf of the police who work here in one of the most diverse and neglected policing beats in the state for a solution and I am proud today to see that come to fruition,” said Mr Leavers.

Commissioner of Police Ian Stewart said that the new station would replace the oldest serving police station in the State.

“In the year that we proudly celebrate 150 years of service it seems fitting that the oldest operating police station in the State makes way for a new complex that is fit for purpose,” Commissioner Ian Stewart said.

“It has remained in continued operation with several modifications made to the original 19th Century timber and corrugated iron building.

“The new station is a short hop away and the move maintains police operations in the heart of West End, which is critical in terms of projected growth and policing requirements,” Commissioner Stewart said.

Police Minister Jack Dempsey said that his LNP Government is committed to revitalising frontline services for police. “We’re delivering new modern facilities to deliver on that promise,” Mr Dempsey said.

“We are addressing that through a new modern fit for purpose station that will benefit officers, and responses to the local community.

“Today we are announcing a win for the local community and the officers of West End.”

While no announcement has been made on the future of the prime real estate on which the current police station sits, and it is intended that the property remain in the hands of the Queensland Police Service, the Westender has spoken to a number of local real estate agents who expressed keen interest in being involved if and when it goes on the market..

Proponents of the Blue economy believe that we need to do more than add sustainability frameworks onto building codes. David Bragg writes that the concept of ‘green’ design should be all inclusive. It is meant to incorporate all the actions and things that it takes to live on this blue planet sustainably.

See more at: http://sourceable.net/blue-vs-green-need-integrated-perspective/#sthash.rmonGrsh.dpuf

It is an important concept that has created a massive movement in the green building sector and must continue to grow and prosper. Its vision is good, and it is still needed because there are countless buildings whose developers still need to be turned away from ‘worst practice, lowest price’ practices to greener outcomes.

However the implementation of a model that will sustain ‘one planet living’ and ensure a truly sustainable future where the integrity of natural systems is paramount is still along way off. The agenda have been largely taken over by consultancies that with little depth to their expertise in sustainability, focus on a ‘tick the boxes’ approach to green design and decide the sustainability outcomes for their projects on a dollar per credit point cost analysis basis.

While this type of approach is adequate, it is unlikely to deliver the type of integrated innovation that can ensure that buildings become a part of the solution rather than remaining just a lesser part of the problem. We will not be able to achieve truly sustainable cities until we stop designing buildings that just ‘do less bad’ and design buildings that to take part in a restorative, net positive development future.

When the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star team (and LEED and BREEAM) originally conceived their respective tools, whole systems analysis via integrative design processes (IDP) were perceived to be a critical part of the process and the Accredited Professional was supposed to lead an IDP process, but somehow this aspect of their role seems to have been lost along the way and they are now the compiler of the submission, rather than the driver of the whole-system design process.

To some extent this is understandable, because there have been few courses and little focus on IDP outside the technical manuals. IDP processes are designed to find and drive synergistic design, materials and technology outcomes to achieve higher level efficiencies at lower costs.

Some countries identified the importance of IDP and in fact Abu Dhabi in the UAE mandated IDP submissions at Development Application (DA) stage as part of their ‘Estidama’ (Arabic for Sustainability’) tool and now require reporting of progressive improvements throughout the design process as part of the DA submission. But this is not the rule anywhere else.

There is no doubt that in some cases IDP did and still does occur, especially in the highest rated levels of buildings, but the green sector is now dominated by engineering practice based sustainability consultancies, that together with the tools themselves seem to have settled into a semi-comfortable retinue of technological solutions that don’t seem to be able to deliver the kind of disruptive change that is needed to change building completely, let alone influence the way our economy overall is run.

The drive by leading designers within the profession to seek new tools such as the Living Building Challenge and One Plant Living is an indication there is disquiet about needing to do more. The desire to do more, to look at things again in a different way, to focus on whole system integrated solutions that go way beyond just buildings and can influence whole industries and even economies, is what the ‘Blue Economy’ is about.

Blue Economy proponents are not seeking to denigrate ‘green’ in fact we all depend on the movement continuing and growing, its just that we need to take green to the next level, to fulfil its original intent and to get ‘cut-through’ of the elements needed to achieve this, a re-phrasing is needed, not to ‘greenwash’ but to identify and focus on the things that can lead to high level, net-positive, disruptive change that will create massive innovation and multiple benefit streams while simultaneously dramatically reducing costs, not just in the building sector but economy wide and the first step on the pathway is a strong focus on integrative design.

– See more at: http://sourceable.net/blue-vs-green-need-integrated-perspective/#sthash.rmonGrsh.dpuf

Councillor Helen Abrahams, The Gabba Ward, calls on Sydney based developer Payce Consolidated to comply with the Neighbourhood Plan for West End with the redevelopment of the Absoe development in West End.

The redevelopment must respect the 15 storey building height limit specified in the South Brisbane Riverside Neighbourhood Plan.

The Neighbourhood Plan states the redevelopment of this 2.5 hectare site fronting Boundary Street must “contribute towards the vibrant village atmosphere of Boundary Street.”

The proposal for 1500 units in multiple 15 storey high buildings on one site conflicts with retaining the existing village atmosphere, especially as the redevelopment of surrounding lots have three and five storey height limits. It will be a very prominent development.

If Payce Consolidated are serious about their public statement that the development “would be sympathetic to the views of the West End community” they will not propose any buildings higher than 15 storeys.

The SBRNP was not supported by the West End Community particularly the extent of the proposed population growth for the area.  I urge Payce Consolidated to stick to the stated objectives of that Plan which are:

• ·         Height limit of 15 storeys
• ·         Protection and reuse of the two heritage buildings
• ·         Public parkland on Boundary Street
• ·         Underground commercial car park
• ·         Pedestrian walkways through the site
• ·         Community spaces

The Federal Government’s campaign to reduce regulation and thus streamline business in Australia has gone live online. The Cutting Red Tape website outlines the thinking of the government’s approach to red tape and the key components of changes to regulation.

While the primary purpose of the site is to promote the government’s deregulation stance it also facilitates the process of actually making a submission to see regulation repealed. Aimed at public servants, the guide and handbook outlines why regulation is important and how creating, changing or repealing regulation should be approached.

The Office of Best Practice Regulation is responsible for the process of checking new regulations and was moved from the productivity commission to the Department of Finance and Deregulation in 2007. It is now part of the Deparatment of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and promotes deregulation as an initiative of the Prime Minister. The style of the Cutting Red Tape website and its approach differ quite markedly from the standard bureacratese of the department responsible for its activities. http://www.dpmc.gov.au/deregulation/obpr/

The interactive components of the new site are limited to a feedback form and a simple submission page. By following the steps in the handbook aimed at public servants, however ordinary citizens can effectively make their case for the removal of foolish regulation. A long way from citizen referenda, the goverment has taken the first steps toward using technology to provide a direct link from the citizenry into the corridors of power.

Let’s hope they listen to the feedback they get.

On Friday 28 March, 38 enthusiastic young volunteers and 5 hard-working staff members from Optus RockCorps turned up bright and early at South Brisbane People’s Market at 15 Hope St.  They arrived with paint, hammers, saws and drills in hand, ready to transform the sparse shop space into a colourful, warm and inviting community pop up shop.

Optus RockCorps is an initiative based on the concept of Give, Get Given.  Young people sign up to volunteer on a community project for four hours, after which they receive a ticket to a music concert.

Within four hours, the young people managed to build a shop-front service table, two partitions, a welcome board and a planter box for the pop up shop.  Additionally, they painted two decorative hangings for the space and chalk-decorated sections of the empty concrete block. The change to the ambience of the environment was phenomenal.

The South Brisbane People’s Market, based in a commercial space at Brisbane Common Ground, is Micah Projects’ early phase of what is hoped will grow to be a thriving, creative and inclusive space for everyone in the local community.

Micah Projects is a community organisation, based in South Brisbane, with an unswerving commitment to social justice. Micah Projects works with individuals, adults, children and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.  The organisation provides a range of support and advocacy services as well as social inclusion activities to support vulnerable people in the local community.

Currently, every Thursday, from 11am until 3pm, the pop up shop sells fresh fruit and vegetables, ethically sourced from a local organisation, Food Connect, as well as freshly baked goods and condiments from Brisbane Common Ground’s chef Phyllis Patterson.  Brisbane Common Ground is a supportive housing initiative which is home to 146 low-income and formerly homeless tenants.

It was great to see some of the tenants actively engage in RockCorps and it cannot be denied that the end result of all of the volunteers’ hard work and enthusiasm was well and truly worth it.  Thank you to all who participated! We hope it was as rewarding for you as it was for the People’s Market!