Retirement giant accused of plan to chop top off Tarragindi Scout hall to improve view
One of Australia’s biggest retirement village developers has been accused by a Brisbane councillor of pushing to demolish the top floor of a Scout hall to improve views from its luxury units.
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One of Australia’s biggest retirement village developers has been accused by a Brisbane councillor of pushing to demolish the top floor of a Scout hall to improve views from its luxury units.
It was understood RetireAustralia had been finding it harder to sell units at its $80m Tarragindi project The Green, which had views obscured by the two-level community hall.
Marketing of the one, two and three-bedroom units, priced from $638,000, hit top gear earlier this year. They offered sweeping CBD views from the upper floors.
Moorooka ward councillor Steve Griffiths claimed the Scouts had been pushed into accepting the demolition, partly funded by Brisbane City Council and partly by RetireAustralia, because it did not have the money to fund a much-needed upgrade.
“Other councils, like Redlands, pay for maintenance of their Scout halls and other community facilities,’’ Mr Griffiths said.
“But Brisbane City Council got $514,000 in infrastructure charges from this development and did not spend that locally.
“Scouts wanted to do a masterplan for the building, which has 20 years of life left.
“They wanted to use the top floor to rent out for revenue and use the ground floor for storage, but council did not support that.
“They’re caught between a rock and a hard place.’’
Council was believed to have offered about $60,000 to upgrade the ageing but solid building, handed back to it last year when Jugglers Arts moved out.
RetireAustralia was understood to have offered another $20.000.
In 2019 residents lost a planning court appeal against the project, built on the Tarragindi bowls club site, after fighting it for five years.
“This building is owned by council, is a valuable community asset and has been
tenanted by different groups for many years, including by Jugglers Arts until 2023,’’ Mr Griffiths said in a community newsletter.
“In July 2023 I was informed by residents and the local Scouts group that the developer (or their representative) of the adjoining multistorey building had requested that this council hall be demolished to improve views for the complex.
“This has been confirmed (to him) by council officers.
“I immediately wrote to the Lord Mayor stating my opposition to this and was advised in council meetings that it would not happen.
“It seems the Lord Mayor and his administration has changed its mind since the 2024 council election.
“I have now been advised that council will demolish the top storey of the building as it requires maintenance and roof replacement.
“It also means council does not have to make the hall compliant for people with disabilities.’’
Mr Griffiths recently moved a motion calling on council to upgrade the hall but the majority-LNP administration voted it down.
A RetireAustralia spokesman said the company had consulted with residents and surrounding community facilities throughout the project’s planning and construction.
“It was through these relationships that RetireAustralia identified areas where it could provide assistance to the local community,’’ he said.
“This included assisting (a nearby) kindy with funds to replace their roof gutters and clean their roof.
“In conjunction with the Brisbane City Council, we are also assisting Scouts with funds to make the Jugglers facility safe and fit for purpose.
“Our neighbours and surrounding community are very important to us, which is why The Green Tarragindi includes a community garden, playground, cafe and the rejuvenated Tarragindi Bowls Club for all to enjoy.’’
Council Community chair, Vicki Howard, accused Mr Griffiths of “secretly’’ recording council officers discussing the issue with him.
But he said the claim was ridiculous and he was clearly videoing their onsite inspection.
Sound was not recorded and he had never secretly recorded any officers during his career.
“(Mr) Griffiths has been well informed throughout this entire process and many of his false claims can be debunked if he read the information that has previously been provided to him,’’ Ms Howard said.
“We are restoring this building to make it safe and usable for the community.
“Mr Griffiths is, disappointingly, the only person who doesn’t want to see this building restored as soon as possible.’’
Council said the building was returned to it last year in an “unusable’’ condition.
Restorations, due to start later this year, would make it safe and usable, including removal of the rotten and rusted roof and stairs. It would also include asbestos removal.
Council said the building was not a hireable space for community groups and never had been.
Scouts Queensland facilities manager Andrew Morgan sent out a notice to residents on September 5 saying his organisation had consented to the removal of the top floor.
“After careful consideration, it was determined that retaining the first floor would have required extensive renovations to address mould issues and a leaking roof, as well as substantial costs associated with compliance with the Building Code of Australia and the Disability Discrimination Act,’’ he wrote.
“To ensure the project remains viable and cost effective, we have opted to proceed with the reconfiguration.
“The Tarragindi Scout Group is currently experiencing significant growth and our existing Scout Den is no longer sufficient to meet our needs.
“This new space will not only allow us to enhance the delivery of our programs, but will also open up opportunities for broader community engagement.
“Additionally, the new facility will provide us with the flexibility to plan and execute long-term renovations to our existing den without interrupting our scouting activities.’’
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