No skyscrapers for West End
26 August, 2009
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In just one day since the release of the Draft Urban Renewal Strategy, residents are objecting in large numbers to the proposal for 30 storey buildings.
“The greatest concern of residents who have contacted The Gabba Ward office is that the character of West End will be lost entirely” said Cr Abrahams
“The Lord Mayor proposes 15 storey buildings in Boundary Street in the heart of West End” Cr Abrahams said.
“No wonder the local residents are concerned” Cr Abrahams said
“Residents tell me that they are not against development but they know they do not want skyscrapers in West End’
Lord Mayor Newman is doubling the current height limits to 12 storeys along the River in West End and 30 storey buildings in South Brisbane.
“The Draft Urban Renewal Strategy gives no details on how many new residents are planned for the area” said Cr Abrahams
The Draft Strategy encourages amalgamation of parcels of land into large sites so maximizing the heights of buildings allowed.
“This means local residents are kept guessing. They do not know if an additional 15 000 or 40 000 people are planned for the area”.
“Until the community knows the number of new residents, it is simply a lottery when predicting if the new bus service is adequate or whether the road network will be gridlocked. How can they tell if there is sufficient parkland?
The Draft Strategy does not mention schools, retirement villages, community halls or services. It is not planning a community but simply squeezing buildings along the River to meet the demands of the developers for river views.”
I call on the Lord Mayor to come clean and release just how many new residents he plans for West End and South Brisbane’ said Cr Abrahams
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