Fears GPS rowers at risk from CityCats if marina goes ahead

A leading Brisbane rowing club is worried a marina planned for a controversial highrise tower will risk their safety and force them to take on CityCats.

Nudgee College rowers. Concerns have been raised that a planned marina at St Lucia could be a hazard for GPS and other rowers. File Picture: Jono Searle

The head of Uni Rowing has spoken out about his fears that a proposed St Lucia marina is so big it could force inexperienced crews into the path of CityCats.

Neighbours of the QM Properties highrise and marina have also lodged submissions to Brisbane City Council voicing their concerns, as has the local state Greens MP, Michael Berkman.

Council officers wrote to QM Properties last month saying they opposed the plan for a five-berth marina, which would jut 35m into the river on a relatively narrow and tricky bend.

The State Government also said it opposed the plan as it was a private use of public tidal land.

QM Properties has exercised “stop the clock’’ provisions which give it 130 days (until September) before it needs to decide whether to proceed.

But residents said Council had previously backflipped before on refusals for earlier versions of the developer’s controversial unit tower at 160 Macquarie St.

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“Council … considers that the proposed pontoon and landing is excessive and is not considered to be consistent with the character and amenity of the immediate area,’’ an officer said in an email to QM Properties.

Head of Uni Rowing, Richard Powell, said he was particularly concerned about students, who were sometimes less experienced, and coxless crews.

“Thirty-five metres is a fair way to jut out into the river,’’ Mr Powell said.

“It’s a well-used stretch — you could have 50 boats on it on a big day.

“As well as our shed, you have the Commercial Rowing Club at Orleigh Park on the West End shore and sheds at West End used by All Hallows, Grammar, Girls Grammar and Nudgee.

“There’s a big eddy which swirls around at Kayes Rocks — it’s very tricky water when the tide is going out.

“Early in the morning at the moment it’s still dark at 6am when people are training.

“You have to have lights, but it is a concern, particularly with single sculls which don’t have a cox.’’

QM Properties said in a response to Council that there were many other private pontoons along that stretch of the river and one of Council’s planned green bridges was to be built just downstream.

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It’s project manager for the development, Greg Campbell, said the marina was “on ice for now’’.

“We don’t know ourselves what we might do about the marina,’’ he said.

The Harbour Master had also indicated they had no concerns.

But Mr Powell said all other pontoons nearby, including Uni Rowing’s pontoon, jutted out less than 10m into the river.

“They’re all about equidistant from the bank, but this one will suddenly go right out,’’ he said.

“To have something like that, it’s a hazard.’’

He said Uni Rowing, in comparison, was warned it would take months to negotiate approvals for its proposed new pontoon even though it would protrude only 10m, or less, into the river.

The engine room of the Toowong Rowing Club. It has safety concerns about the proposal.

Toowong Rowing Club chairman, Peter Schryver, said they would at least want lights low down, as the Harbour Master had suggested, and would need to run an education campaign among their members.

“When they were putting in the Eleanor Schonell Bridge (at the University of Queensland) we had a lot of people running into buoys and so on,’’ he said.

“Not every crew is coached and some go out by themselves.

“We don’t all row in a line, we’re often side by side, so we would probably have to go out into the middle third of the river and as such there would be a significant safety risk.’’

Rowers finish their morning session on the river, West End. Picture: Ric Frearson

Mr Berkman said in a submission to Council that QM Properties’ argument that the marina was compatible, as there was a precedent for landings in the St Lucia area, was not a valid argument.

“The proposed landing protrudes significantly further into the Brisbane River than the surrounding landings, with the proposed length being 35.3m from the rock wall in comparison to approximately 13m by the neighbouring landings at 172 and 180 Macquarie St,’’ Mr Berkman wrote.

“The proposed development is patently non-compliant (with regulations) because of its encroachment into navigable waterways.

“By common practice, the Brisbane River is divided into thirds, with the third bordering St Lucia used for upriver travel, the central third for CityCat use, and third bordering West End used for downriver travel.

“The scale of the proposed pontoon will intrude into half the upriver travel portion of Brisbane River.’’

Janet Hohnen at the proposed marina,which she argues would be a safety risk to rowers and kayakers. Picture: AAP/Sarah Marshall

Janet Hohnan, who lives in a neighbouring unit block, said it was concerning the marina was “code assessable’’ which greatly restricted residents’ rights to object and take legal action.

Another Macquarie St resident, John Argus, said he was certain the marina would affect the safety of rowers and recreational kayakers.

“How can such a massive development, in a public space, solely for private use, be deemed code assessable?’’ he said.

“If this development is approved, it sets a precedent for other such private developments on the river.

“As I look across the river, there are at least a dozen pontoons, none of which are in use.

“Other issues which will impact on adjacent properties are river bank erosion and river flows,

increased river traffic, noise, privacy and security.’’

However, QM Properties argued in its responses to Council that the pre-existing rock wall would not be affected, and as there was no dredging or other such activities involved water quality, erosion and flooding would not be altered.