Author: Helen

Councillor Helen Abrahams, The Gabba Ward said that Council must go back to the drawing board with Draft Kurilpa Riverfront Master Plan following 300 guests at industry lunch laughing at the proposed excessive development.

There is no innovation in this Plan. It is simply copying the highly designed riverbank features of SouthBank but with 11,000 residents and 8,000 workers in more than 30 high rise buildings. There are 25 buildings shown between the River and Montague Road.

“There was mirth in the room when the number and heights of the proposed tower buildings was shown” said Helen Abrahams

Essentially the plan shows a fringe of parkland along the river that already exists then three or four tower buildings deep to Montague Road.

West End residents were concerned when they were not involved in the early stage to identify what was needed to ensure this area would be where people would wish to live. They had good reason to be concerned.

This is a Plan by developers for developers. Little thought has been given to the needs of the new residents. If a person who can afford to eat out every night, they might be interested. But that is not what makes a wonderful place to live.

Residents need parks, schools, community halls, children care centres, outdoor sports and clubhouses. If this Plan becomes are reality there will be a mass exit every morning to take the kids to school.

It is a myth to think that families with children do not live in apartment buildings as a survey of West End State School has shown.

The two new parks demonstrate the lack of balance with the Master Plan.

One is about the same size as the new SouthBank park near Stokehouse Restaurant which is packed with people every weekend as it is not large enough. The second is 1 hectare but include buildings and excessive pathways. The parks are only 5% of the plan area.

The Lord Mayor’s City Plan 2014 provides KPIs for parkland. The amount of parkland for recreational purposes for 11,000 is over 11 hectares or over 40% of the site. It sounds a large area of park but it illustrates how many people are being squeezed into this area of the city.

This plan should take the opportunity to deliver a park of city wide importance such as Newstead Riverside Park, or Rocks Riverside Parks.

The existing Brisbane City Plan 2000 earmarks six sites for “new public open space” within the South Brisbane Riverside Neighbourhood Plan.

Four new parks are to be delivered as part of the high rise development of the Parmalat site, the ACI site, the Absoe site and a third site south of Davies Park – the Lord Mayor recently identified Bailey Street as the location.

The other two parks require the acquisition of land at 68 Vulture Street and 281 Montague Road, so expanding Davies Park.

Council has issued a Notice for Compulsory Acquisition of 68 Vulture Street, triggered by the lodging of a development application on the site. The design of this park will be critical to ensure it becomes a well-used community space.

The draft New City Plan tells a different future for new parks.

The Absoe site and Bailey Street are renamed “Plaza”. The definition of a Plaza is “privately owned open space that is publicly accessible during hours of operation”. Privately owned land that can be closed is NOT a public park.

The intention to acquire 281 Montague Road has been deleted from the draft New City Plan. This is a serious blow and efforts are being made to turn around this LNP decision.

There is another twist to new West End parks. The existing City Plan states where development sites are equal to or greater than 10,000m2, a minimum of 20% of the site is publicly accessible. The most recent Pradella approval failed to deliver this publicly accessible open space.

Local residents are mobilising. They are seeking a meeting with Lord Mayor Graham Quirk to invite him to a public meeting to explain his intentions.