Coorparoo badminton centre backed by Deputy Mayor under fire after opening without approval
A Brisbane badminton centre backed by the Deputy Mayor has begun operating and taking bookings despite having no council approval to open.
A proposed Coorparoo badminton centre endorsed by Deputy Mayor Fiona Cunningham has opened for business despite no development approval being given, and council officers holding concerns
Extraordinarily, council said it would not issue any noncompliance notice to Vision Badminton Centre until officers had made a decision on the development application (DA).
A spokeswoman pointed to the 56 submissions in support of the Turbo Drive proposal, although three were from Gold Coast residents and another from the Macao-based father of the proponent.
Brisbane’s small badminton scene was up in arms. Some rival operators were furious because they had paid rent on vacant premises while their applications were approved, a process which could take up to six months.
Vision Badminton was approached for comment.
Its website showed it started taking bookings in May, one month after lodging its DA.
It has also advertised a school holiday program for later this month and has other bookings as far ahead as November.
No decision on its plans could be made until at least October 21 after council agreed to a “stop’’ request from Vision Badminton asking for more time to respond to information requests.
So far there have been 12 formal objections.
In her letter of support in April, Ms Cunningham said she was “delighted’’ to back the proposal as there were few suitable sites in her ward.
The site was previously used for gymnastics, and a local badminton centre would mean residents would not have to travel to outer suburbs to play, she wrote.
“I commend their passion, commitment and enthusiasm and wish them all the best with their future endeavours,’’ she wrote.
A council spokeswoman said the application to change the use from low-impact industry zone to indoor sport and recreation was currently “under consideration by Council’s independent planning officers’’.
“While this remains under assessment no compliance action will be considered,’’ she said.
“Council’s enforcement response to businesses operating unlawfully considers all relevant information including the ability for the use to be regularised (made lawful) and, if the use can be regularised, the steps taken by the operators to regularise the use.”
Council’s contact centre has been contacted once about parking at the address, she said. Opponents have disputed that number, however.
Vision Badminton conceded in its DA that parking fell short of the usual council requirements.
But the company said it had agreements with the owners of neighbouring warehouses for customers to use their carparks after hours.
It said their courts would be busiest after about 6pm when the neighbouring warehouses were closed.
However, the council officers wrote to the company saying it needed to provide those agreements in writing.
They also pointed out that light industrial land was fast running out in Brisbane and a change of zoning to allow a sporting club ran contrary to that.
Town planners for Vision Badminton said there was a growing need for facilities ahead of the Olympics.
“With more international students (and permanent migrants) from Asia moving to Australia, the sport’s participation numbers have surged and clubs and facilities are struggling to keep up with the demand,’’ they said in the DA documents.
“The increasing participation is also creating a demand for more and better badminton facilities.
“Importantly, the Brisbane 2032 Olympics are expected to boost the popularity of sports such as badminton even further.
“The increased media coverage and exposure to high-level competition are likely to inspire more young people to take up the sport.’’
The planners also said a “temporary’’ change of use would not affect the underlying zoning of the property “which means it retains its capacity for industrial activities in the future’’.
The fit-out would not change the internal layout of the warehouse, which could return to light industrial at a later time.
It had also previously been used as a base for 360 Gymnastics.
The planners pointed out that there were at least four vacant warehouses nearby.
They said noise and lighting would not be a problem as there were no residential premises nearby.
Industrial neighbours were closed at night when the 10 courts would be busiest.
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