Round two: Fury as Brisbane unit project gets even bigger

Residents fear their street will be choked to death by traffic as developers look to add two storeys to a westside unit proposal.

Residents in an up-market westside suburb say their street is being choked to death by traffic from unit projects, with the latest proposal snuck in two days before Christmas.

They said traffic on busy Swann Rd, Taringa, was already backed up for several hundred metres during peak times, and feared it would get much worse once a mini-Coles, three-tower retirement village and several unit projects were completed.

Now, a developer has applied to add 17 apartments and two storeys to their unit proposal, first approved in September, 2018.

Made & Crafted Jv (Swann Road) Pty Ltd lodged an updated development application (DA) on December 23 for a seven story, 54 unit project after it bought an adjacent property.

Last week Urban Strategies, for the developer, also asked for a 120-day “stop’’ on the project while it tried to comply with Council’s concerns.

Artist's impression of how the unit project would look from the eastern side.

Local Councillor, James Mackay, letterboxed residents recently to invite them to have their say.

He wrote in his letter that he did not support the developer’s “change application’’, due to traffic impacts, and had submitted an objection via Council’s internal processes.

Council officers also raised the concerns at a recent “pre-lodgement’’ meeting, including that the units should be “stepped down’’ in height on Rennie St to provide a visual buffer to houses further down the hill.

How the original proposal would have looked on its Rennie St frontage. Council officers want the revised version stepped down Rennie St.

Officers also wanted a larger set back on Rennie St to allow for large trees to grow.

However, none of the neighbours’ fears about the traffic impact on Swann Rd and Rennie St were addressed in the pre-lodgement meeting.

The windy, narrow road is so dangerous Council fought to have the State Government drop the speed limit dropped from 60kmh to 50kmh in May last year.

TTM Consulting, which prepared a traffic report for the revised project, said there would only be an extra 11 cars using the revised building. That increase would have “minimal’’ impact on surrounding streets.

But neighbours begged to differ and said the total number of cars housed at the site would now be 110.

They called on Council to take into account the traffic impacts of not just the revised project, but other planned developments along Swann Rd.

“BCC has already flagged Rennie St for traffic reasons. A traffic survey was conducted to introduce traffic calming,’’ resident Ben Cavallaro said.

“The driveway to the new development is planned to be on Rennie St, but because the street has a split level it will create a roundabout effect.

“Our street is a quiet residential street with many children.’’

How the original proposal would have looked, from street level.

Resident Mike Davison said that in the afternoon traffic could back up from Moggill Rd to Saunders St for 400m.

“At the Gailey Rd fiveways roundabout traffic is also at a standstill, both in the mornings and afternoons,’’ he said.

“The TriCare development in (nearby) Seven Oaks St will only add to traffic coming to a complete standstill at this roundabout.’’

David and Robyn Hordern said the traffic impact assessment should include traffic generated due to planned, approved and expected future developments in the area.

That should include “massive’’ development expected around Indooroopilly train station and increases in traffic and pedestrians generated by local schools, the University of Queensland and five daycare centres.

The State Government recently suggested building the first new primary school in the westside for six decades on the Indooroopilly State High School site, which would generate 600 extra vehicle movements a day on nearby Lambert Rd.

“It is not sufficient for the applicant to just state there is no adverse impact. It needs to be proved,’’ the Horderns said in their submission to Council.

“I drive the streets in question on a daily basis and can verify that even now there are adverse traffic impacts in the surrounding area, which recently required a lowering of the speed limit on Swann Rd to 50kmh.’’

For more details and to read more submissions visit Council’s online DA portal, pdonline, and search for application A005625631.

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