Riverfront Toowong street being eaten up by developers

This once idyllic little riverfront Brisbane street has become a nightmare of endless developments. Now, the residents are fighting back in court.

Residents in a little Brisbane inner-west street have had enough after a wave of unit, student accommodation and townhouse developments and are now fighting back in court.

Archer St in Toowong was, until a few years ago, a quiet clifftop oasis overlooking the Brisbane River.

But in the past two years residents have watched in horror as Linden Lea, the last Tudor home in the suburb, was demolished, a highrise student building went up, construction began on a highrise unit tower and plans for a medium-rise tower were revealed.

Archer St in Toowong has been inundated with construction. Picture: Google Street View

If that were not enough, Council has confirmed one of its five green bridges will land on the former ABC site, funnelling large numbers of cyclists through their street, and plans have been announced for a two-tower unit project on the ABC land.

In the latest development residents, including Freya Robertson, began action in the Planning and Environment Court on a guard rail protecting pedestrians on a blind corner on the street.

The guard rail (right) which Archer St residents are fighting to keep.

Toowong Residents Group member, Clyde Torkington, said Council decided that the guard rail should be removed to allow residents at a proposed three-level unit project at 50 Archer St to put out their rubbish bins.

The guard rail would be replaced with bollards.

Civic Cabinet City Planning and Suburban Renewal Chair Adam Allan said Council was unable to comment, as an appeal was before the court.

Neighbour Ann Kingston-Kerr and founding member of Toowong residents group Freya Robertson outside Linden Lea just before it was demolished.

But Mr Torkington said bollards would not protect pedestrians, who could even cross the road at that point as there was no footpath opposite.

He said there were now so many trucks and tradies’ vehicles, residents and developers had met with police in an effort to co-ordinate truck movements.

And once the green bridge and a proposed cycleway through Consolidated Properties Group’s ABC site development were completed, there would be far more cyclists and pedestrians using Archer St.

“Brisbane City Council authorised the property developer of a proposed Toowong apartment block at 50 Archer St to remove a roadside pedestrian safety barrier at the footpath next door, so the new apartment residents can place up to five refuse bins in its place — with bollards located between the bins — since the apartment location lacks street frontage,’’ Mr Torkington said.

The RACQ has identified the 22 most dangerous Brisbane roads for cyclists. Archer St, Toowong, was way up there, at medium-high risk.

“The safety barrier is located to protect pedestrians, on a thin footpath, against vehicle accidents at a tight road bend in Archer St.

“There is no footpath available on the opposite side of the road.

“The barrier also guides pedestrians away from the risks of crossing through the middle of the street’s blind corner.’’

Council has designated Archer St as a bicycle route, but an RACQ study in November last year named it as one of Brisbane’s 22 most dangerous cycling streets and roads.

The study, which analysed crash data, identified Archer St as a medium-high cyclist crash risk.

“What was a quiet street is no longer,’’ Mr Torkington said.

“Trucks are already having no choice but to take it carefully.

“There already have been some close calls and, at times, the trucks block each other.

“We’ve worked with the police to try to get some co-ordination.’’

Mosaic’s $50 million The Patterson, which will have 63 luxury units. Neighbours say Mosaic has done the right thing and engaged with police and residents to minimise construction impacts.

He said all but one of the developers on the street had been very cooperative and took part in the meeting with police.

Buildings under construction at the moment included 50 Archer St and a highrise unit block at 15 Archer St, to be called The Patterson.

In March, Linden Lea was flattened. The owner has submitted a development application for townhouses, but the DA has not yet been approved.

No start date for the green bridge has been announced, but Council has released designs for three other green bridges and has said it wanted to fast track work on them to provide economic stimulus for the city.

Unilodge at 25 Archer St. Picture: News Corp/Attila Csaszar

Work on the Unilodge student highrise, at 25-29 Archer St, was finished about a year ago.

And another developer submitted a DA in March for St Briavels, at 20 Archer St.

It wants to build a nine-level residential tower in front of the heritage-listed, inter-war American-style home.

Consolidated Properties has not yet revealed when it will start work on two towers containing about 200-250 units.

But it has promised to consult fully with residents and build a cycleway through its land, connecting to Archer St, to give University of Queensland students a safer commuting route.

Consolidated has met with key stakeholders, including Toowong Residents Group, even though Council laws do not require it to do so.

St Briavels will be moved, renovated and a unit tower built on its grounds.

Mr Torkington said bins outside 50 Archer St would reduce footpath width, making it difficult to navigate prams, wheelchairs or shopping carts and forcing some pedestrians into street traffic.

“It is unfortunate that this safety compromise is completely avoidable,’’ he said.

“Toowong residents lodged multiple submissions to Council asking for a simple design amendment to (allow) industrial bins to be collected inside the driveway of the proposed apartments, leaving the footpath safety barrier as is.

“Those community concerns were ignored by the Council.’’

The preferred alignment of the Toowong to West End green bridge. Image: Brisbane City Council