Brisbane City Council accuses State Government of delaying townhouse ban

Every measure Brisbane City Council has taken to push through a townhouse ban on low density residential land has been delayed by the State Government, the city planning boss says.

Brisbane City Council has accused the State Government of “dragging the chain” on approving its emergency townhouse ban to facilitate its own developments.

EVERY measure Brisbane City Council has taken to push through a townhouse ban on low density residential land has been delayed by the State Government, the city planning boss says.

It comes as Wolter Consulting Group lodged an application last week on state-owned, low density owned land for 27 townhouses.

Last September, Brisbane City Council made an amendment to the City Plan to ban townhouses on low density residential land, and sent it to the State Government for approval.

In October it voted against Labor’s motion to enact a Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) to stop those developments as the amendments went through the approval process.

Cr Matthew Bourke says the State Government needs to approve the TLPI to ban townhouse

By February it was forced to backflip and introduced its own TLPI to ban townhouses in low density residential land.

Brisbane City Planning chairman Matt Bourke said Minister for State Development and Planning Cameron Dick on January 31 advised the Lord Mayor a TLPI would be a good way to protect low density land at Mt Gravatt East while the City Planning amendment went through the process.

Cr Bourke said just 13 days later, after the council passed its own TLPI, the council received a letter from the department that paused the TLPI and said the council needed to prove the issue met the requirements to use the emergency measure.

The State Government has been contacted for comment.

Residents rallying against the Mt Gravatt East development that Planning Minister Cameron Dick said could be protected by a TLPI. Picture: Kristy Muir

It means the State Government now had put a pause on the council’s City Planning amendment and the emergency TLPI to ban townhouses in low density residential.

“Whenever these (townhouse) developments come up, I’ll write to the whole suburb,” he said.

“I’ll write to the whole suburbs, saying the State Government is putting politics before people.

“It is clear now the State Labor Government is dragging the chain on this one to facilitate townhouses on their own land.”

Councillor Norm Wyndham (McDowall) moved an urgency motion that all councillors urge the State Government to approve the council’s TLPI to ban townhouses on low density residential land.

He said it was urgent because the State Government had lodged a development application in his ward just two days after the council’s TLPI was sent to them for approval.

“Given we have bipartisan support in this chamber for this policy, it’s important we send a clear message to the government to stop delaying this,” he said.

Councillor Jared Cassidy said Brisbane City Council had “no shame, none whatsoever”. Picture: AAP/Richard Walker

Cr Krista Adams (Holland Park) has a hugely controversial townhouse application in her ward urged Labor councillors to “Get on the phone to your mates ... and get them to sign the TLPI”

The motion passed unanimously but not before opposition councillors stood to accuse the LNP administration of hypocrisy and partisan politics.

Opposition city planning Jared Cassidy spokesman said the administration “had no shame, none whatsoever”.

“They had the opportunity last year to vote for a TLPI and they did not,” he said.

“Developer donations dry up and all of a sudden the LNP are doing something when they feel the heat from their communities.”

Independent Cr Nicole Johnston (Tennyson) said it was a “hugely hypocritical motion” and the LNP had failed to protect low density residential land last year when it voted down Labor’s motion.

“I might go and letterbox all over Stafford and say the reason this is happening is because Cr Wyndham failed to vote for it last year.”

Cr Jonathan Sri (The Gabba) said he would support the motion because he believed residents were owned certainty and consistency but that the council should consider upzoning some low density residential land.