Patrick Condren vows to scrap infrastructure charge discounts, re-do all neighbourhood plans in Brisbane

Lord mayoral hopeful Patrick Condren has put developers on notice that they’ll lose generous discounts under a Labor administration.

DEVELOPER discounts on infrastructure charges would be scrapped under an elected Labor administration, lord mayoral candidate Patrick Condren has announced.

In an $11.2 million announcement, Mr Condren once again promised to re-do every neighbourhood plan in the city in the coming four years, in a pitch to suburban communities frustrated by inappropriate developments.

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Mr Condren made the announcement in Sandgate, where a draft version of a new neighbourhood plan proposing increasing height limits by two storeys recently caused local backlash.

Labor lord mayoral candidate Patrick Condren

“The key thing that we’re talking about today is ensuring that developers stick to the plan,” he said, referring to development applications which exceed limits.

“(Neighbourhood plans) get overridden by the LNP catering to their developer mates.”

Under the proposal, contentious neighbourhood plans in places like Sandgate or Spring Hill would be revised first, but all would be redone over the coming four years.

Mr Condren said it was also necessary to crack down on discounts given to developers’ infrastructure charges.

Community anxieties of overdevelopment has become a major issue in Brisbane.

“I want to make sure that money goes into our suburbs instead of developers’ pockets,” he said.

The announcement has come after a number of local groups across Brisbane mounted vigorous campaigns against perceived overdevelopment.

One local in Kangaroo Point recently spent 500 hours building a diorama of a 10-storey proposal to illustrate why it was too bulky.

Community pressure in Spring Hill also saw a proposed hotel split in two.

Council has recently sought to ban townhouses in low-density areas.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the amount of infrastructure charges levied against developers was capped under state legislation.

“If Patrick Condren knew anything about how council works, he would know that,” he said.

“While Team Schrinner continues to work with communities to develop neighbourhood plans, the labor mayoral candidate wants to scrap them entirely without consulting the community.

“He makes these rash policy statements without any consideration for neighbourhoods who want a plan, who like their plan, and the huge cost implications.

“Instead of proposing an alternative, Patrick Condren will plunge Brisbane residents at 35 locations across the city, into an uncertain future.”

Cr Schrinner said neighbourhood plans were expensive to prepapre.

“The cost is about $750,000 to prepare a plan, so Condren will add another $26 million in debt to council if he is elected and rips up all neighbourhood plans, which he has announced he will do,” he said.