Development plans for the Holden Eagers site at Newmarket draw ire of residents
Residents of an inner-city suburb have mounted a campaign against a controversial development at an iconic site, saying it will attract ‘late night undesirables’ and hurt nearby businesses.
QLD Business
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Residents in Brisbane’s inner north have mounted a community campaign to stop a historic Holden dealership from being transformed into a service station and retail hub.
A development application has been lodged by lodged by Griffith Capital to transform Eagers Holden on Newmarket Rd in Windsor into a service station, fast food outlet and four retail showrooms.
Under the proposal the existing vehicle showroom and workshop would be demolished for redevelopment.
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The four retail showrooms would have a combined 1832 square metres of floor area and include 55 car parks.
It has sparked furious opposition from dozens of residents who have lodged their concerns with Brisbane City Council.
One cited an increase in traffic, fumes and a likelihood of attracting “late night undesirables”.
Another described the development as “a joke” and questioned “why on earth” it was needed in Windsor.
“A development like this belongs on the Bruce Highway away from residents,” they said in a written submission.
Most of the 49 submissions raise concerns about the addition of a fuel station, claiming 12 within a 3km radius is enough.
Sean Carthew, resident and founder of Burger Urge, argued the “detrimental” development would “damage existing retail and further congest traffic”.
“I think it is a poor planning outcome for the local area completely unnecessary,” he said.
Another resident agreed the site needed to be redeveloped ahead of the looming closure of Eagers Holden but said a service station and fast-food facility was not the right use.
“I think this creates a great opportunity to strike the right balance between the residents of the local areas and the industrial uses that already exist along the surrounding Newmarket Rd areas,” they said.
“I believe a further development of this location to become a retail and restaurant precinct would much better suit the site.”
However, not all residents were opposed to the development with Paul Nugent declaring it would be an “excellent upgrade” on the under-utilised site.
“It will bring more business and jobs to this area and increase foot traffic to the surrounding
businesses,” he said.
