Brisbane City Council resumes four houses for Windsor sports park

Councillors have voted to resume four houses in a “premier” Brisbane sporting destination for a sports and community park, despite an owner’s plea to keep her home.

The four properties that the council will soon resume to make way for green space in Windsor.

COUNCILLORS voted to resume four houses in a “premier” Brisbane sporting destination for a sports and community park, despite an owner’s plea to keep her home.

The four flood-prone properties at Windsor are 18 and 20 Cullen St as well as 29 and 45 Northey St, which sit across from the Northey St City Farm and Downey Park Netball Association.

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The council did not reveal the cost of the four properties.

Downey Park netball courts, Windsor, after heavy rain and high tide caused flooding in 2016. The area is flood-prone. Picture: Bradley Cooper

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the extra 1822sq m of land would be added to adjacent council-owned open space to create a 16,000sq m sports and community park.

“We’re buying up these houses, we will remove these houses and we will create a new, larger park for local residents to enjoy,” he said.

Cr Andrew Wines (Enoggera) said Windsor was the premier women’s sporting precinct in Queensland, with thousands participating in sport every Saturday.

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“Every club and association in the district is screaming out for more space, and this land is much needed for the area,” he said.

The Northey Street City Farm is across the road from the proposed park. Picture: Patria Jannides

The park is part of the council’s part $40 million spend on sporting precincts across the city, including the new netball courts at Bracken Ridge and Wakerley.

However, the owner of 45 Northey St objected to the resumption of her house, which was supposed to be her retirement home.

“I have planned this retirement in Brisbane since 1995, carefully selected to be opposite parkland, within walking distance of the CBD and near bike paths, close access to hospitals and with community spirit (near the City Farm),” she said.

Northey St, Windsor, is prone to flooding. Picture: AAP/Jono Searle

“Compensation offered by the Brisbane Council (judging by previous performance) would not allow the purchase of a similar property in the suburb which meets these criteria, so this proposal will cause serious personal hardship.”

She wrote proposed expansion of the park would increase “severe” parking problems in the area, which were causing problems for residents and visitors.

She said despite the council’s insistence the property was flood-prone, her house was on stilts “and has not been damaged by any flood in the past 20 years.

Land opposite Northey St, Windsor, which is earmarked for a new Windsor park

The council responded that matters of compensation were “not valid grounds for objection” and that the footings of the structure would continue to be at risk from flooding.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner reiterated his plan to funnel the dividends from the City of Brisbane Investment Corporation into new parks, announcing the investment over the next year would be $20 million.

“I can’t think of a better way to put the dividends of our future fund than buying parkland like this,” he said.

“We will buy land for parkland, we will create new parks that don’t currently exist and I’m so pleased to see this agenda item coming through.”