Contentious Bulimba Barracks development approved

A major development on the Brisbane River has finally been approved following a contentious and exhaustive application.

Construction on a major inner-Brisbane riverfront precinct will get underway after an exhaustive development application for the Bulimba Barracks site was approved.

The contentious plan for the historic site on the banks of the Brisbane River has been given the green light by Brisbane City Council to build 855 mixed purpose dwellings.

The offering, to be developed by local company Shayher Group, will house thousands of residents and consist of apartments, townhouses and detached homes, which Morningside Ward Councillor Kara Cook said will redefine the region.

“It’s the largest masterplanned community since Hamilton Northshore,” she said.

“It is a large-scale development that will provide options for people who want to stay in the area and potentially downsize but also (provide) the availability of property in our local area and the availability of rentals.”

An aerial of the Bulimba Barracks when it was sold by Defence.

The recent acceleration for the Northshore Hamilton development across the river from Bulimba was evidence development will ramp up in the lead up to the 2023 Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to Ms Cook.

“Developers are looking for opportunities to capitalise on that growth and I think, for this site in particular that has been spoken about for many years, to now see activity is accelerating has a lot to do with the Olympics,” she said.

The councillor said the mixed dwelling profile for the old Bulimba Barracks site would provide much-needed stock amid the state’s housing crisis but acknowledged the city was crying out for more affordable homes.

“We do live in what is the second highest median income (area) in the city and property prices reflect that so affordable housing and low cost housing is also something that is critically important,” Ms Cook said.

But federal Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather said the plan fails to address flooding, traffic and affordability issues, declaring “I’m genuinely shocked” this has been approved.

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather said the development area is at risk of flooding. Picture: Brisbane City Council

“Brisbane City Council has just approved a massive 20-hectare development in flood prone land that will cause traffic chaos, destroys a local park for a four-lane road, chops down over 800 established trees and provides not a single affordable home despite previously being publicly owned land,” the Member for Griffith said.

“Almost the entire Barracks site sits within a flood plain, and the developer’s own drawings include basement carparks below already flood prone land.

“Without any substantial investment in public transport this development will cause major traffic chaos, with the developers’ own traffic reports noting that several major intersections will be completely gridlocked as a result of traffic from the development.”