Call for council to buy factories for parks before it’s too late

It’s a golden opportunity to build two riverfront parks. But will council miss the boat?

Council has been urged to speed up the acquisition of the Parmalat factory on Montague Rd, West End, for parkland. Picture: Tara Croser

A councillor and a West End lobby group have called on Brisbane City Council to hurry up and buy two factories on Montague Rd for parkland before the price becomes too high.

Council has had the ACI and the Parmalat milk-products factories in its sights for years.

Both are listed for purchase in its Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP).

Despite that, it refuses to commit to a time frame to buy them, let alone speed up the process.

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“They plan to buy the land at some point in the near future, so they might as well buy it now before it becomes more expensive,’’ Councillor Jonathan Sri (The Gabba) said.

West End Community Association planning spokeswoman Seleneah More said the area’s population had doubled in 10 years and desperately needed parks.

Council confirmed the two sites would be used for open space but did not comment on a time frame.

Ms More said a 2016 Brisbane recreational parks study found the inner-city had only 6 sqm of open space (excluding South Bank Parklands and the Brisbane Botanical Gardens) per resident, but likely much less now due to the rapid increase in development in the area.

She said Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s announcement on the weekend that council would close Victoria Park Golf Course and build Brisbane’s version of Central Park would also help address the lack of green space, but not in the West End peninsula.

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“Over the past 10 years the population has more than doubled (11,000 to 25,000) but we lost four parks,’’ Ms More said.

“In 2014, at the stroke of a pen, council planning chair Amanda Cooper downgraded parks into urban plazas and development sites.

“Meanwhile, it has collected millions of dollars in infrastructure charges from developers and West End only has a small park (Bunyapa), a little bigger than a regular house lot.

“We urge council to zone for parks in the neighbourhood plan as part of quarterly City Plan changes, and bring compulsory acquisition forward rather than waiting for the 2026 PIPS (Priority Infrastructure Plan) horizon.

“Due to the predicted downturn of construction we demand council reinstate planning provision of converting idle sites into temporary parks.’’

A council spokeswoman said it was “committed to delivering the infrastructure and green space needed for the growth of the city’’.

“The LGIP provides a list of citywide priorities based on extensive consultation with Brisbane residents,’’ she said.

“It is anticipated portions of the ACI and Parmalat sites will become future public open space through future developments.’’

Cr Sri said the LGIP listed the ACI and Parmalat sites for acquisition between 2016 and 2021.

“The longer council waits, the higher the land value rises,’’ Cr Sri said.

“These companies are never going to want to move out of the inner-city, because it makes more commercial sense for them to hold out and wait for land values to keep rising.

“Unless we compulsorily acquire the sites, it will become too expensive for council to buy the land.’’