Wednesday 14th May - Page 1

Bridge 'blowout' behind tall storeys

Prime site ... Parmalat factory at South Brisbane

Photo & report: Rob Lockyear

The Lord Mayor's plan for 30-storey buildings in West End is an attempt to recoup the rising costs of the Hale Street Bridge, Councillor for The Gabba Helen Abrahams says.

"The Lord Mayor is banking on thousands of new residents paying for the cost blow outs on toll charges and rate rises," Cr Abrahams said.

Building heights and density in the West End and Kurilpa development areas are set to increase after Brisbane City Council proposed a review of the existing planning works.

The Lord Mayor's Urban Planning and Economic Development spokesperson Cr Amanda Cooper said the existing plans did not fulfil the the needs of Brisbane's booming population.

Cr Cooper said there had been 117 responses to the Kurilpa development plan, including an undisclosed number that had talked of the need to lift building height restrictions.

"We've got the Hale Street Link coming in; we've got the Tank Street footbridge; we've got massive expenditure which will make this area the very first connection to the city," Cr Cooper said.

"The proposal is currently undercooked."

But Cr Abrahams said the community's view had not been taken into consideration during the drafting of the West End-Woolloongabba plan and expressed concern that the same could happen in Kurilpa.

"I actually thought it didn't properly understand the West End community. They were ignored at the time," Cr Abrahams said.

She called for a neighbourhood plan that would include residents in any future planning developments.

"Let's go through the processes and let the community really have a say."