Elite Brisbane school asks to bypass council planning laws

An elite Brisbane school has attempted to bypass council planning laws for its 10-year masterplan as it seeks to build two huge boarding houses and a sports hall, outraging local residents.

St Peters Lutheran College at Indooropilly has defended its 10-year master plan after complaints from residents about traffic impacts and poor consultation. FILE PHOTO

FURIOUS residents are calling on state Planning Minister Cameron Dick to delay, or refuse, an application by St Peters Lutheran College to grant it a special dispensation so its new master plan can bypass normal council processes.

The elite Indooroopilly school wants to build two huge boarding houses, expand its Indooroopilly Rd sports facilities, build a sports hall and expand drop-and-go zone on busy Lambert and Harts roads.

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Residents say public consultation was inadequate and accused the school of seeking a “ministerial infrastructure designation’’, so it could sidestep council’s normal development application process.

“There’s already gridlock from Lambert to Harts roads, which can extend back as far as the

train station,’’ resident Elizabeth Hart said.

“The school has two main entry points, with junior school pick-up and drop-off on

Lambert Rd and seniors drop-off and pick-up on Harts Rd.

“There is inadequate information in the school’s proposal over such a massive series of

projects to be constructed over 10 years, which will have irrevocable, far-reaching effects

on local residents. The broader community of Indooroopilly/St Lucia need to be

consulted.”

But the school, which said it was always “mindful of maintaining a positive relationship with residents’’ said the 10-year plan was available for comment from March 29 to May 1.

The school said it met with “a number’’ of residents and received 34 submissions during the public consultation period.

“The masterplan sets our vision for the long-term development of the College’s facilities,’’ Head of College, Tim Kotzur, said.

“We have developed the plan to allow us to cater for the current and future needs of students, as well as to ensure we continue to have good relationships with our local community.”

Head of College at St Peters Lutheran College Indooroopilly, Tim Kotzur. Picture: Richard Walker

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A spokesman for Planning Minister Cameron Dick said the ministerial infrastructure designation process was the “normal assessment process used for expansions to existing or new infrastructure projects that are outlined in the Planning Regulation 2017’’.

“Hundreds of schools across the state have been upgraded using this. It requires public consultation and the minister has to have regard to all submissions received when undertaking his assessment.’’

Consultation included signs on school property, letters to adjacent residents, material on the department website.

New LNP councillor James Mackay. Photographer: Liam Kidston

Councillor-designate for Walter Taylor, James Mackay, said methods of seeking development that circumvented City Plan except in special circumstances.

“There’s no rush here. Residents don’t feel as if they have been properly consulted, so I urge the school to engage further with them,’’ he said.

Ms Hart said the two boarding houses would be 90m long and four-six storeys high, or about 27m.

She said different residents had been told different things when they asked about the actual height of the buildings, which would be 10m from the fence line of some residents.

“The first some people heard about this was two days before we called a meeting (on Thursday last week,’’ Ms Hart said.

“The consultation period was during school holidays and several public holidays.

“We’re going to fight this. We feel we’ve been seriously aggrieved by St Peters.’’

She said residents, many of whom had lived in the area for decades, knew they were living close to a school and supported reasonable development of its facilities.

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However, she said the boarding houses would accommodate almost 200 students aged 11 to 18, and staff, with noise and light impacts well outside normal school hours.

The bulk of the buildings was far in excess of the low-density zoning of the neighbourhood, she said.

Ms Hart said the traffic impacts of the drop and go zone and Indooroopilly Rd sports facilities expansion would be felt far more broadly than the boarding houses, as Lambert and Harts roads were used by most people in Indooroopilly, St Lucia and Long Pocket.

It was already dangerous and heavily congested during school drop-off and pick-up, as well as commuter peak periods, and could not cope with extra vehicle movements.

“There will be an extra 80 car spaces, contained within school grounds, with entry at Harts

Rd but that still means more cars, and an expanded large drop and go zone will make traffic

so much worse on both Harts and Lambert Rd.’’

A community meeting will be held on May 25, 10am, at the park in Gilgandra S, Indooroopilly.