Residents will have no say on $450m Brisbane high-rise
It is the biggest development in the city’s inner-west in years, but locals will not be consulted on this giant unit and retail project in a move one local MP is calling “outrageous”.
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RESIDENTS will be barred from having a say on the proposed $450 million Toowong Town Centre high-rise residential, retail and cinema project.
Despite the project’s massive size and the neighbourhood plan identifying the area as a “landmark site’’, Toowong locals have no right to appeal it in court or even be told what is going on at the old Woolies site on the suburb’s high street.
Brisbane City Council officers have emailed a long list of concerns to the developers, the Government-controlled State Development Corporation and White & Partners Sydney.
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They included everything from the width of footpaths, to monolithic blank facades, noise from back-up generators and hours of operation of a rooftop bar and pool.
However, Council’s main concern was with a lack of proper connectivity for pedestrians.
The area has a large amount of foot traffic from shoppers, University of Queensland students and commuters using the railway station and bus stops.
The developers provided a complex response to Council’s concerns late last month, either disputing them or asking they be “conditioned’’ as part of approvals.
Local state Greens MP, Michael Berkman, said it was outrageous such a vast project could be “code assessable”, a designation which greatly limits public objection and notification rights.
He has started an online survey to gauge local feelings about Toowong Town Centre.
“So far we’ve received 375 responses to our survey on the Woolworths site proposal, which demonstrates that locals really want to have their say on developments like this,’’ Mr Berkman said.
“It lays bare just how crazy it is that this $450 million development doesn’t require any community consultation or impact assessments under Queensland’s Planning Act, because it’s classified as “code assessable”.
“Only 21 per cent of responses to my resident survey last year said they feel like they get enough say in decisions about our city.
“That’s why I want to give residents this opportunity to provide feedback now, and why I’m also pushing for reforms to our planning system to make all major developments impact assessable.’’
Mr Berkman said if the project did get the green light, it was imperative the council and or the State Government bought back the nearby, abandoned ABC studios and turned it into a regional public park.
“The biggest issues residents are consistently raising with this development include the need for proper traffic management and the community’s clear support for a public park at the old ABC site down the road,’’ he said.
“I’m encouraging locals to jump online and fill in the survey if they haven’t already, because I’ll be using their feedback to form the basis of my submission to Council.”
Residents can view more information about the development and fill in his survey at
The precinct’s design is based on an “open street theme” will have retail, commercial, residential, entertainment, and leisure facilities along with a range of services like childcare.
It will have an open air plaza that includes a water feature that converts to a stage area.
The plaza will be used for outdoor dining and food festivals, small concerts, community and special events. The plaza also allows continued easy access to the train station, bus stops and Toowong Village.
More than 50 per cent of the site will be dedicated to public space, including open-air plazas and community meeting areas.