Community, chemicals and conspiracies converge at Kurilpa Commons

Locals have vowed to protect Kurilpa Commons, a neighbourhood garden at the end of Boundary Street in Highgate Hill, after the state government suddenly locked up the site to investigate possible land contamination.

The plot, situated at the river end of Boundary Street, is owned by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and is next to a site approved for a luxury riverfront unit development.

On Friday morning TMR workers, accompanied by Queensland Police officers, erected fencing and construction notices around the Commons, preventing unauthorised access to the site.

Concerned locals have gathered behind fences erected around Kurilpa Commons, a neighbourhood farm, on Friday morning to protect the site from being demolished.Credit: Courtney Kruk

The notices stated that any unauthorised goods or equipment must be collected by March 13.

Locals and members of Growing Forward, the group responsible for establishing the Commons, have long feared the garden was under threat. By 10.30am, more than 30 were inside the fence, vowing to stand their ground as police and TMR workers sought to keep them out.

TMR later told this masthead the plot was being accessed by people “unlawfully”.

Tati, a spokesperson for the group, said the community was not consulted nor notified about TMR’s plans to close off the plot.

“[We found out something was happening] through people being down in the space this morning harvesting [and] watering [the garden],” she said.

Growing Forward established the Commons during the pandemic to assist individuals experiencing food insecurity and provide local produce.

It’s now a well-developed community hub and garden.

Residents have raised concerns for the future of Kurilpa Commons in Highgate Hill.Credit: Courtney Kruk

“Before that ... there was nothing happening,” Tati said.

In a statement released just before 12.30pm, TMR said they had secured the plot to prevent “inadvertent access” while the land was tested for pre-existing chemical contamination.

“TMR has become aware of fill that was historically placed on the property which may have been contaminated fill,” the statement said.

An updated statement sent after 5pm added TMR’s concern the plot “has been unlawfully accessed by a number of members of the community”.

“Independent qualified testing laboratories will undertake the testing. Due to safety concerns, TMR has acted as quickly as possible to fence the property off so it can undertake that testing.”

TMR would not clarify its plans for the plot, including whether the garden would remain untouched, and open to the community, should contamination be ruled out.

To some, the lack of information about the future of the Commons reflected the long-running secrecy surrounding council and government plans to increase development in the area.

In 2021, developer Bluebird Property lodged an application to demolish a 14-unit complex next door, on 5 Dudley Street, to build luxury apartments.

A subsequent community engagement report, submitted to Brisbane City Council by Bluebird, outlined several meetings with Growing Forward about protecting the Commons.

But it also noted tensions over the project, noting that sewer infrastructure under the Commons would eventually need to be upgraded.

The proposed development for 5 Dudley Street in Highgate Hill. Credit: Bluebird

While an initial meeting was positive, a second meeting prompted Bluebird to accuse Growing Forward of a campaign to oppose and openly discredit the project by claiming the destruction of the garden and loss of affordable housing.

The report highlighted how Growing Forward had described itself on Facebook as “a small initiative, but it is a form of resistance where the community has successfully challenged ‘state’ occupation of stolen land, transformed the plots with regenerative urban farming practices and undermined colonial law with mutual aid”.

“The group does not have a licence over the state-owned land nor did they seek approval for their use,” council was told.

Bluebird’s report outlined discussions with TMR about the process for a “possible lawful dedication of their land to Brisbane City Council, which is currently a vacant block and being informally occupied by Growing Forward”.

It is believed this would be to store equipment, materials and vehicles during construction.

Developer McNab bought the site at 5 Dudley Street in 2024. It is pushing ahead with plans for eight luxury apartments over three levels, even as the council and government actively seek higher-density development on the Kurilpa peninsula in response to Brisbane’s housing shortage.

McNab did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.

Last year, amid growing hostility towards the project, Labor’s then transport minister Bart Mellish took to social media to say it was a council issue and nothing to do with TMR.

“We’ve reached out to McNab who’ve told us that they will not be using the TMR owned land and they do not anticipate any impact on the garden currently operating on the site,” he posted on Facebook in August.

It is not clear how TMR came to be alerted to contamination concerns.

West End Community Association president Selena Moore said the communication around both sites had been lacking.

“[It] has been non-existent and poor, so it’s very difficult to tell what the motivations are,” she said.

“But we definitely do know that this site is of value to a developer next door who had a project on the go.”

The unit project is on a site listed on the environmental management register due to chemical contamination. Like other nearby projects, the developers will avoid deep excavation to save money and avoid risk.

While TMR has flagged possible contamination at the Commons, the plot is not on any register, and the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said they had contacted TMR for more information about their plans.

“We’ve reached out to TMR regarding these concerns and will work with them on next steps,” a DETSI spokesperson said.

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