West End Community Association

Concrete canyons for riverside? -
We can do better than that!

What the draft Local Plan has in store for us:

The draft Local Plan, if implemented, would:

• effectively extend the Brisbane CBD to the 'Riverside North Precinct' north of Mollison Street by rezoning it to 'office park', with buildings up to ten storeys and possibly 12 storeys according to Lord Mayor
• rezones the 'Riverside South Precinct' south to Forbes Street to medium/high density residential of up to seven storeys and possibly 12 storeys according to Lord Mayor.

Allthough the present maximum height of buildings within West End Riverside is five storeys in a few places (which many regard as too high), the Lord Mayor is calling for height limits to be increased to twelve storeys or even higher - two and a half to three times the current maximum height!

The West End Community Association is very concerned that West End Riverside is in danger of becoming a Gold Coast style highrise, high-density residential enclave for the affluent. We believe West End needs to avoid an unsustainable, car dependent residential monoculture and instead, encourage mixed use and lower maximum heights and densities.

At several large public forums local residents have consistently expressed their opposition to a highrise 'makeover' of large tracts of West End. Most members of the local community favour between two and five storeys in the west End Riverside precincts, with building heights to be kept below the riverside tree line and a maximum of two storeys adjoining the riverside parkland.

WECA asks "Should council be rezoning industrial to higher density residential before all of the impacts of the consequent massive population increase are adequately addressed ie public transport, public space, traffic grid locks?

What WECA aims to promote

• An adoption of an integrated plan for redeveloping the precinct in accordance with local community wishes and adequate infrastructure in place prior to approval or commencement of any developments
• People friendly designs of private and public spaces (including human scale of buildings);
• Retention and expansion of affordable housing;
• Protection of natural environment;
• Environmentally responsible and sustainable building designs and practices;
• Substantial reduction in per capita use of private motor vehicles and corresponding expansion in alternative transport options;
• Substantial social contribution from the developers towards costs of new infrastructure.

What YOU can do:

1. Write to Council/local councillor and State Government/local MP
2. Write letters to newspapers
3. Telephone talkback radio
4. Join and/or donate to WECA and participate in its activities
5. Get others involved: numbers=power!