Same experts, different story on golf club retirement plan

Consultants Urbis back Aura retirement project despite panning Mirvac units on same Indooroopilly Golf Club site

Indooroopilly Golf Club’s latest development plan, an Aura retirement project, has raised the hackles of some neighbours.

A FAILED unit project at Indooroopilly Golf Club was criticised by the same consultants now in favour of a retirement village on the club’s land.

Brisbane City Council engaged property consultancy UrbisJHD, in conjunction with Cardno, to prepare a report on Mirvac’s 2005 multi-level unit project.

Council opposed the plan, which was later dropped.

But council last month approved a development application for a retirement village in a similar area on the sprawling club grounds.

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UrbisJHD’s 2005 report concluded the unit project would worsen traffic and was contrary to the need for green space in the area.

But the company, now simply known as Urbis, said in its report on the Aura retirement village project that traffic was not a problem, nor was green space.

“Everything council objected to in 2005 has now been approved,’’ Indooroopilly’s Arch Caithness said.

An Urbis spokesman said the Aura proposal was very different to the Mirvac project and they could not be compared.

“It’s a different use, on a different scale and involves different land,” he said.

Mr Caithness said while the projects were different in type and scale, the Aura development overlapped with part of the 2005 Mirvac unit proposal — an area closest to existing housing development.

He said since the Mirvac project was knocked back the population — and traffic — had increased due to development of houses and units on the nearby, former CSIRO Longpocket site.

Allowing IGC to go ahead with the Aura plan would generate even more traffic along Meiers and Lambert roads, which already were congested at peak times, Mr Caithness said.

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Mr Caithness said it was important to note that the current proposal was merely the latest in a series of property deals by the golf club, which had resulted in what was once meant to be a huge botanic gardens being slowly converted to private use.

The scathing 2005 UrbisJHD report concluded the Mirvac development: compromised environmental outcomes of the then Strategic Plan; compromised the intent and desired outcomes of the parkland and sport and recreation designations; did not integrate with surrounding development; conflicted with the bulk and scale of existing development in the area; diminished the amount of parkland and removed the ability to cater for the needs of an expanding and changing population for parks.

Indooroopilly Golf Club

The Urbis spokesman said the Aura project covered 2.5ha, one-third of the Mirvac plan.

“The new proposal involves a retirement village with 215 units, which is complementary to the golf club use, and with residents having access to the club,’’ he said.

“The 2005 application proposed 285 units, almost 35 per cent larger in terms of unit numbers. It also had more than double the amount of gross floor area.

“The traffic impact is significantly different.

“Retirement villages generate less traffic than apartments (two trips per day compared to six trips for units) with residents more likely to travel out of peak hours and make use of the shuttle bus provided by the village operator.’’

The 2005 proposal also involved land which, at the time, was included in the Park Land designation under the Planning Scheme.

“The Aura development is wholly contained on land that is included in the Sport and Recreation Zone and does not contain any park zoned land (now known as Open Space Zone),’’ he said.

“The Sport and Recreation Land and Open Space Assessment undertaken for Aura demonstrates that the total supply of sport and recreation zoned land within the district catchment significantly exceeds the current desired standards of service for this land. “Importantly, the development will also not result in any loss of functionality of the Indooroopilly Golf Course, with all holes being able to be reconfigured and retained ensuring the golf course performance is not reduced as a result of the proposal.

“It is also important to note that the current proposal will allow the club to invest on golf course improvements, improving the overall recreational experience for members and the general public who use the course,” the spokesman said.

However, the 2005 UrbisJHD report pointed out that while the club argued it would use the money from a sale to Mirvac to improve its golfing facilities, that was not grounds for an argument under council’s planning scheme.

Michael Berkman, the state Greens MP for the Indooroopilly area, said the area faced unique traffic challenges which must be taken seriously.

Greens MP Michael Berkman. Picture: Tara Croser

“This corner of Indooroopilly and Long Pocket face big challenges with school drop off traffic and infrequent, unreliable public transport,’’ he said.

“That’s why traffic studies and sticking to the neighbourhood plan are so important.

“Zones in the City Plan need to actually mean something, otherwise they’re just pretty colours on a map.

“At least Council usually has the decency to rezone the land, even if that does flagrantly breach the local planning scheme. This time they haven’t even done that.

“At the moment, it seems like a wealthy and influential golf club is getting special treatment and a one-time exemption from the zoning rules, contrary to Council’s publicly announced policy.

“Let’s remember that this was once public land and Council didn’t receive a fair price when it was sold in the 1970s.