Residents say 16-storey tower bid breaches faith with Valley plan

Not everyone who lives in Fortitude Valley wants to live in a multimillion-dollar high-rise apartment tower.

Carol Galichet and Kelly Howard live next to where a 16-storey tower is proposed on the fringe of Fortitude Valley, with developers promising 14 whole-floor apartments surrounded by townhouses.

Fortitude Valley residents Carol Galichet and Kelly Howard say a 16-storey apartment proposal snubs Brisbane City Council’s town planning guidelines.Credit: Tony Moore

Galichet and Howard are among 76 residents fighting the proposal. On Tuesday, they took their complaint to City Hall, telling a council meeting the Valley’s neighbourhood plan should not be eroded.

“You know better than us that neighbourhood plans are very important to local communities. They are a sign of good faith and co-operation with council,” Howard told those present.

“They provide certainty to property developers to show what is permissible and what is not.

“What we object to is a 16-storey tower that does not comply with the local plan, will tower over local houses, blocks sun, blocks light and denies privacy to many.”

Townhouses would surround an apartment tower under a development proposal for Fortitude Valley.

While the developer, Ace Property Holdings, has told the council the proposal responded to Brisbane’s housing shortage, Galichet said “each apartment is an individual penthouse which we understand will sell for around $3 million”.

The council initially rebuffed the developer in November, advising “the proposed 15 to 16 storey tower is not commensurate with the immediate surrounds, given the adjoining site and the nearby site have limited building potential”.

But the developer stood its ground, telling council in March the tower was in keeping with heights allowed in other areas of the Valley Gateway Precinct.

An artist’s impression of the development proposed for a section of Fortitude Valley where the local plan requires 19th century timber cottages to be protected.

“The subject site is one of the largest remaining landholdings in the Fortitude Valley,” the developer told council.

“To capitalise on the unique opportunity that is presented by the subject site, a 15-storey residential tower is proposed directly adjoining the non-residential properties that have the potential to be redeveloped to 12-15 storeys in height along Light Street and Wickham Street,” it said.

“Given the unique size and corner location, it has also been possible to sleeve this tower behind low-medium density townhouses.”

Residents used the meeting to urge Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner to “stick to the local plan”.

“To approve such a building plan would abandon the faith our community has placed in our neighbourhood plan and in our council,” Howard said.

The proposed development spans nine lots on the corner of Hynes, Light and Knapp streets on the Newstead fringe of Fortitude Valley.

Council town planning chair Adam Allan said the application was still being assessed.

“Certainly, that pocket of Fortitude Valley where you live does have background in terms of character,” Allan said.

He said the area around Fortitude Valley, Newstead, Teneriffe and Bowen Hills was “probably some of the most sought-after and desirable areas to live in Brisbane”.

He said the council wanted to provide additional housing in the inner-city suburbs because there was good public transport and services.

But Howard argued “the housing crisis affects people on lower to middle incomes” and “these apartments are high-end and aimed at a wealthier demographic”.

Ace Property Holdings was contacted for comment.