Unit plan for Exclusive Brethren Bulimba site just got bigger

Residents in an up-market Brisbane suburb have been left outraged after new details about a unit project on the site of a controversial church were revealed.

Artist's impression of the project.

Residents in a Brisbane eastside suburb say they are “battle fatigued’’ after fighting aircraft noise, a major naval barracks redevelopment and now a unit project on the site of a controversial church.

After losing a campaign against the massive Barracks urban renewal project and failing to get an aircraft curfew and flight cap at Brisbane Airport, Bulimba residents are facing their third major battle in as many years.

Developer Skyhold met with residents on December 1 to outline plans for a unit project on the former Exclusive Brethren church site at 91 Lytton Rd.

Resident Melanie Haynes said the community engagement was from 4-6.15pm, on a weekday, with posters and other literature.

At the time she raised her concerns with the developer and a PR team, on hand to speak to residents, including insufficient green space, traffic, height, bulk, flood risk and her view that it did not meet the Bulimba District Planning Code/LMR zoning rules.

“They told us it would bring affordable houses to the area, with one-bed units starting at $500,000,’’ Ms Haynes said.

Artist's impression of the project.

“They said it would be three buildings of five levels, tiered down the hill and would not break the top of the hill.

“Even that was above the maximum three levels allowed in the zoning for this site, low-to-medium density.’’

But residents got a shock when a development application was recently lodged with Council for six levels, not tiered, and 188 units — up from the 175 units that was mentioned at the community engagement session.

“It will look like three office blocks. The density is 2.3 times that at the Barracks,’’ Ms Haynes said.

“A lot of people around here are fatigued after fighting aircraft noise and the Barracks, then this has come along.’’

The plans are impact assessable, meaning residents can appeal in the planning court and must be notified.

A resident said in a submission to Council that local infrastructure already struggled with the present amount of traffic.

Sketch of the project, as viewed from Lytton Rd.

“This will be substantially (more) when the Barracks development opens the Bulimba end of Bolan St, meaning all eastern in/out bound traffic will use Bolan St,’’ they wrote.

“The infrastructure simply isn’t suitable for another development of this scale in the same vicinity, especially where they will use the same intersection of Lytton Rd.’’

But a Q Traffic consultants report, lodged with the development application (DA), said the project would have only a minor impact upon the performance of the Lytton Rd intersection.

It said there would be only marginal increases to queues and delays in peak hours.

Q Traffic conducted a traffic survey in February 2021, but said there had been a drop in traffic volume since then and the project would generate only 81 extra car trips in peak times.

“While the delays for (cars turning right from Bolan and Andrew streets) are approaching acceptable limits of operation during the AM peak hour, this would be the case at all intersections along this stretch of Lytton Rd,’’ it said.

“It is therefore anticipated that Council may need to consider implementing peak period turn bans on the minor approaches to the unsignalised intersections along this stretch of Lytton Rd as part of a corridor assessment at some point in the future.

Aerial view of the existing Exclusive Brethren church site.

Residents also said the Exclusive Brethren site was near significant overland water flow in heavy rain, but MPN Consulting said in a flood report that the site’s run-off was captured by onsite stormwater drainage.

Proposed internal roads would direct run-off to the existing overland flow channel to the west, or to Lytton Rd to the north.

“Overall, the flood risk is quite low as the carparks are graded up and above Lytton Rd, where typical major overland road flooding occurs,’’ it concluded.

“Flood impact mapping indicates the proposed development is unlikely to create material impacts to properties located elsewhere within the study catchment, including to peak flood levels within Lytton Rd.’’

Town Planning Alliance (TPA) said in the DA documents that the 167 one-four bedroom and 14 three and four bedroom project would be built in five stages.

The 439 car parks — 380 resident plus 49 visitor and 10 electric car spaces — was more than required by Council.

There was a bus stop opposite with four bus routes travelling past, plus the Apollo Road ferry terminal about 1km away.

Skyhold will pay about $30 million for the 2.33ha site, the long-term home of the controversial Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

Aerial view of the site.

The Plymouth Brethren, which is linked to the Exclusive Brethren, has more than 5000 members in Brisbane and will move to a new place of worship at New Cleveland Rd, Tingalpa, which is presently under construction.

TPA said the buildings would take up little more than one third of the site.

An existing conservation zone with mature trees on the western portion of the site would be retained and enhanced.

Heavily landscaped communal zones and vertical planting would transform the property.

Architect Fender Katsalidis said it had delivered a design for sustainable subtropical living, incorporating natural materials and finishes with large windows and balconies.

Skyhold founder and managing director Zhen Chen said the development provided options for people to age in place and young families seeking a more affordable option than the existing detached houses in the area.

Plan of the layout of the proposed buildings.

“Our focus has been delivering much needed housing in a leafy, green environment in a way that does justice to a 2ha site only 5km from CBD,” he said.

“This area has great amenity – schools, bus and ferry transport, parks and local retail.

“We are supplementing that with generous facilities for residents with work from home options, basement carparking, a gym and pools that will create a wonderful lifestyle, promoting social interaction and community living.

“This is the perfect place for much needed housing, with two street access and basement parking limiting local traffic impacts and the large sloping site allowing buildings that don’t impose on our neighbours.”

More details on Council’s online development application portal developmenti. Search for 91 Lytton Rd or application A006274567