Build ’em up: High-rise plan would transform South Brisbane

Residents with “selfish” NIMBY attitudes need to let go and accept sensible new housing options, an urban planning expert says, as Brisbane mulls introducing high-rises at South Brisbane.

Tall apartment towers would be allowed near Musgrave Park under a plan to be presented to Brisbane City Council on Tuesday.

Kurilpa Precinct Master Plan 2023 showing in yellow where developers can lodge applications  for very high developments.

If adopted, the Kurilpa Precinct Master Plan would allow developers to build up to 274 metres – close to 90 storeys – in the area bounded by yellow in the map above, forever changing the low cityscape of South Brisbane.

“We as a city need to consider carefully the type of housing packages that we introduce,” University of Queensland urban planning expert associate professor Dorina Pojani said.

“Overall, the city can stand to increase its density by a whole lot and there are a whole lot of neighbourhoods that could take more density.

“But residents need to let go of their NIMBY attitudes because this is a growing city and this NIMBYism is just very, very selfish, in my view.”

An artist’s impression of a future South Brisbane by development planners Urbis. This is not a council-approved design.

The plan would remodel older industrial land at South Brisbane similar to the transformation of Newstead and Teneriffe, lord mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

“Just like Teneriffe and Newstead have been turned from industrial and commercial areas into some of Brisbane’s most popular places to live and visit, I’m confident our changes will do similar for the Kurilpa precinct,” Schrinner said.

“With great access to Brisbane Metro and train stations as well as multiple green bridges, this precinct has the potential to be Brisbane’s most sustainable community.”

Pojani said she knew residents around West End were “pretty upset”, but she said the real problem was extra traffic, not increasing density.

“They are used to living in a quiet neighbourhood where they can grow tomatoes and mangoes and vegetables in their backyard, yet still being within walking distance of the CBD and having very little traffic,” she said.

The lord mayor said the council believed the plan would help rejuvenate parts of South Bank Parklands, facing competition from Howard Smith Wharves, New Farm’s James Street and a remodelled Eagle Street.

Pojani said increased housing supply reduced house prices.

“It may mean in the spot where the new housing is being built prices may stay high because there is demand there continuously, but they might go down elsewhere in the region in a distributed effect.”

“These new housing packages need to come with some amount of affordable housing and accompanied by rental protections and eviction controls,” she said.

She said the shade impacts from apartments, the need for new schools, medical facilities and additional public transport for the extra 10,000 people must be handled in the application phase.

“Brisbane is not like England. If you build tall towers in England you create these shade canyons, but they already have such bad, rainy weather, where the very little sun they have take that away,” Ponjani said.

“But we are not exactly the kind of city that needs less shade; we need more shade.”

Brisbane Times understands shade restrictions would stop very tall applications close to Musgrave Park winning approval, but applications over 30 storeys in that zone would be considered.