Residents demand new streets as 50-plus houses proposed

Riverview residents have demanded a lane connecting two major roads in their booming Ipswich suburb after a development approval of 52 houses was submitted.

Artist illustration of the proposed Riverview Estate project.

Residents in a booming Ipswich suburb have asked a property developer to include an additional lane linking two major roads to relieve traffic problems.

It comes after town planners Willowtree Planning submitted a development application (DA) on behalf of Riverview Estate Pty Ltd for a 55-lot housing development plan to the Ipswich City Council on July 1.

The site is on the corner of 70 Old Ipswich Rd and 11 Brisbane Rd in Riverview, next to St Peter Claver College.

Residents in the proposed 52 houses would use existing local streets, with no lane linking to either of the two roads proposed.

Neighbour Mandi Cherrington started a petition on July 5 calling for a new access street to relieve expected traffic increase. It attracted more than 120 signatures in five days.

“The prospect of additional residential properties without additional infrastructure is concerning,” she said.

“With the surge in dwellings comes the inevitable increase in vehicles, which will quickly overcrowd our existing roads.

“The lack of adequate parking for both residents and visitors will not only disrupt our community but also potentially pose safety concerns for all, especially our children and older residents.

“With 55 new properties, it isn’t difficult to imagine the immense burden this will place on our already limited streets.

“The current roads and parking arrangements can barely accommodate our community as is.

“The proposed development plan, without the addition of a new access road, threatens to exacerbate this issue.

“The quality of life for the residents of Riverview 4303, old and new, depends on it.”

Layout of the proposed Riverview Estate project.

However, traffic experts TTM Consulting said in a report submitted as part of the DA that there would be only an average of 130 extra vehicle movements per day added to McCosker, Carlyle and Hales streets and Dawn Pde.

That was well below the current, maximum 1000 vehicles movements per day.

“TTM notes that the projected traffic volumes on the existing road network due to the proposed development is anticipated to be considerably lower than the (roads’) design capacity,” it said.

“Given the distribution of traffic across the network, the impact on any individual road segment is expected to be minimal.

“The existing road network should be able to accommodate the additional traffic without any significant issues.”

An earlier project involving 22 houses at the site was proposed in 2011 and three years later a new project with 40 units was proposed. Both included a connecting street to the two arterial roads.

Plans for the site were redesigned after the current owner bought it five years ago.

Public submissions to Council were open until July 26.