JayT
October 28th, 2004, 06:30 AM
Make room for 1 million
http://www.oum.qld.gov.au/Docs/draftplan/Draft_Regional_Plan.pdf <<<Regional Plan!!!!
Craig Johnstone, state editor
October 28, 2004
HIGH-density suburbs, multi-storey apartment blocks and reduced water use will become a feature of southeast Queensland's lifestyle under a growth plan designed to manage one of the biggest population shifts in the nation's history.
SPREADING out . . . a bird's eye view of inner Brisbane, which faces challenges presented by an extra 1 million southeast Queensland residents within 20 years. Picture: Mark Calleja.
The plan, which sets out an urban footprint for Australia's fastest growing region, is likely to force thousands of Queenslanders to turn their backs on the traditional big suburban block.
And the Government is steeling itself to borrow funds to help pay the multibillion-dollar bill for the transport, water and electricity infrastructure needed to cater for an estimated southeast Queensland population of 3.7 million within 20 years.
Premier Peter Beattie and Treasurer Terry Mackenroth unveiled the draft South-East Queensland Regional Plan yesterday.
Mr Mackenroth said the state's strong financial position would enable it to embrace new infrastructure projects which would be outlined in a separate report in April.
The plan estimates more than half-a-million homes, many in medium and high-density apartment developments, will need to be built in southeast Queensland over the next two decades.
It warns that residents may have to reduce the pressure they put on existing infrastructure or face higher charges as a means of ensuring southeast Queensland copes with an expected million new residents.
Mr Beattie indicated there would be some losers from the plan, particularly local cane farmers whose ability to sell their land to developers has been severely restricted.
He also backed a western bypass road for Brisbane, risking a public backlash from residents in the western and northern suburbs.
"We understand the politics of this; this is not a popularity contest, this is about guaranteeing the future quality of life of southeast Queensland residents," Mr Beattie said.
The draft plan, open for public comment until February, seeks to ensure there is enough land for urban growth while protecting about 80 per cent of the region from development.
Residential densities will increase significantly and there will be smaller lots and more apartment blocks along major transport links.
While development will intensify in some areas, others will be locked away for regional landscape, rural production and green space between Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.
The restrictions have left some canegrowers with few options now that their land is not attractive to developers.
New residential estates will have to have a density of up to 15 lots a hectare, compared with eight under existing regulations.
Mr Beattie said the higher densities would mean housing estates would need to have lot sizes about the same as those at Springfield, west of Brisbane, where blocks range from an average 640sq m, or 26 perches, to as small as 300sq m, or 12 perches.
The plan seeks high density residential developments and apartment blocks in suburbs such as Coorparoo, Indooroopilly and Cleveland, a move likely to be hotly debated in the communities.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman vowed to engage the community in debating the plan. "We will really talk to people about these conflicting forces that are upon us", he said.
Industry groups welcomed the plan as providing certainty although the property lobby said it had concerns about the allocation of funding for needed infrastructure.
http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,3600,391597,00.jpg
SPREADING out . . . a bird's eye view of inner Brisbane, which faces challenges presented by an extra 1 million southeast Queensland residents within 20 years. Picture: Mark Calleja.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11207224%255E952,00.html
_________________________________________________________________________________
Residential high-rises to shoot up
Craig Johnstone, state editor
28oct04
HIGH-density apartment blocks are likely to spring up in areas such as Coorparoo, Cleveland and Strathpine as the regional plan tries to concentrate residential development around major transport nodes.
The plan proposes several "transit-oriented developments" throughout the region, most of them near major rail and bus stations where it says high-density residential and commercial projects should be built.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman flagged a relaxation of the 10-storey height limit in Brisbane suburbs to accommodate such development.
The plan says transit-oriented developments should have densities of between 20 and 80 dwellings a hectare, which is likely to encourage big apartment blocks in suburbs that happen to have major train or bus stations.
The plan proposes that such development also be concentrated in corridors running between Bowen Hills and Lutwyche in the north and between Woolloongabba and Greenslopes in the south, to take advantage of the city's burgeoning busway system.
However these proposed new high-density developments around transport centres are likely to prove one of the most contentious aspects of the plan.
Community and resident groups have fiercely resisted past attempts to cluster housing around rail and bus stations.
However the plan warns that continuing to provide low-density detached housing to accommodate the region's increased population is "unsustainable both in terms of land consumption and the cost of providing urban services".
Premier Peter Beattie yesterday said the high-density development did not need to be in the form of high-rise apartments.
"But if we do not do more around transport nodes, we are going to be stuffed," he said.
Cr Newman acknowledged there had been political difficulties in the past convincing people of the need to increase density close to public transport services.
"People don't like density . . . there's been bad development," he said. "We are encouraging quality development. We believe we can create exciting new communities in Brisbane, especially in the urban renewal areas."
He said Brisbane City Council had a 10-storey height limit for buildings outside the CBD but there were parts of the city where he was prepared to see buildings go higher.
Other suburbs identified in the plan as suitable for transit-oriented developments include Indooroopilly, Toowong, Milton, Springwood, Springfield, Goodna, Redbank and Caboolture.
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11207365%255E3102,00.html
_______________________________________________________________________________
Beattie U-turn on western bypass
Craig Johnstone, state editor
28oct04
PREMIER Peter Beattie yesterday pledged to build a western bypass road to improve traffic flow in southeast Queensland.
In what amounts to an about-face for his Government on the need for a bypass west of Brisbane, Mr Beattie said the road needed to be built to stop the city choking on traffic congestion.
"It's got to happen," he said.
"We have got to find out where to do it, but we have to do it."
The draft regional plan commits the Government to identifying and preserving corridors for "necessary network improvements" in western Brisbane, including the bypass.
The plan also pledges to "complete an orbital road system in Brisbane to complement an overall network of north-south and east-west arterial connections".
Mr Beattie said the western bypass proposal was one of the most controversial parts of the plan but "inevitably it has to happen".
"But if we don't do that then the city chokes," Mr Beattie said.
"The reality is while this is a very difficult political issue, we have to find a solution to it.
"We haven't got a particular timeline in relation to it, but we will do it as soon as we possibly can."
Planning for a western bypass has stalled since it was last proposed by the former Borbidge government in 1997 as part of its regional transport plan.
The Beattie Government had been reluctant to embrace the road because of its potential to cut through several Labor electorates to the west and north of the city.
Other key transport projects proposed by the draft regional plan are heavily geared to encouraging development along the so-called western corridor.
The plan says a new "multi-user infrastructure corridor" including road, rail and other connections would link new industrial areas south of Ipswich with the existing Yatala industrial estate.
It also proposes new public transport corridors to better link the fast-growing Springfield and Ripley Valley areas with Brisbane, as well as an eastern busway and an extended northern busway for Brisbane.
Other high transport priorities the plan identifies include upgrading rail links between Brisbane and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. The plan says the Brisbane/Gold Coast line is rapidly approaching capacity and will need to undergo improvements such as a staged duplication, development of new stations and extension of the line south of Robina.
On the Sunshine Coast, the plan says a priority should be providing a "dedicated intra-regional public transport spine" linking the major centres of Caloundra and Maroochydore.
"This could start as bus priority and be used for rail when potential capacity warrants," the plan says.
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11207300%255E3102,00.html
____________________________________________________________________________________
jt
http://www.oum.qld.gov.au/Docs/draftplan/Draft_Regional_Plan.pdf <<<Regional Plan!!!!
Craig Johnstone, state editor
October 28, 2004
HIGH-density suburbs, multi-storey apartment blocks and reduced water use will become a feature of southeast Queensland's lifestyle under a growth plan designed to manage one of the biggest population shifts in the nation's history.
SPREADING out . . . a bird's eye view of inner Brisbane, which faces challenges presented by an extra 1 million southeast Queensland residents within 20 years. Picture: Mark Calleja.
The plan, which sets out an urban footprint for Australia's fastest growing region, is likely to force thousands of Queenslanders to turn their backs on the traditional big suburban block.
And the Government is steeling itself to borrow funds to help pay the multibillion-dollar bill for the transport, water and electricity infrastructure needed to cater for an estimated southeast Queensland population of 3.7 million within 20 years.
Premier Peter Beattie and Treasurer Terry Mackenroth unveiled the draft South-East Queensland Regional Plan yesterday.
Mr Mackenroth said the state's strong financial position would enable it to embrace new infrastructure projects which would be outlined in a separate report in April.
The plan estimates more than half-a-million homes, many in medium and high-density apartment developments, will need to be built in southeast Queensland over the next two decades.
It warns that residents may have to reduce the pressure they put on existing infrastructure or face higher charges as a means of ensuring southeast Queensland copes with an expected million new residents.
Mr Beattie indicated there would be some losers from the plan, particularly local cane farmers whose ability to sell their land to developers has been severely restricted.
He also backed a western bypass road for Brisbane, risking a public backlash from residents in the western and northern suburbs.
"We understand the politics of this; this is not a popularity contest, this is about guaranteeing the future quality of life of southeast Queensland residents," Mr Beattie said.
The draft plan, open for public comment until February, seeks to ensure there is enough land for urban growth while protecting about 80 per cent of the region from development.
Residential densities will increase significantly and there will be smaller lots and more apartment blocks along major transport links.
While development will intensify in some areas, others will be locked away for regional landscape, rural production and green space between Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.
The restrictions have left some canegrowers with few options now that their land is not attractive to developers.
New residential estates will have to have a density of up to 15 lots a hectare, compared with eight under existing regulations.
Mr Beattie said the higher densities would mean housing estates would need to have lot sizes about the same as those at Springfield, west of Brisbane, where blocks range from an average 640sq m, or 26 perches, to as small as 300sq m, or 12 perches.
The plan seeks high density residential developments and apartment blocks in suburbs such as Coorparoo, Indooroopilly and Cleveland, a move likely to be hotly debated in the communities.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman vowed to engage the community in debating the plan. "We will really talk to people about these conflicting forces that are upon us", he said.
Industry groups welcomed the plan as providing certainty although the property lobby said it had concerns about the allocation of funding for needed infrastructure.
http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,3600,391597,00.jpg
SPREADING out . . . a bird's eye view of inner Brisbane, which faces challenges presented by an extra 1 million southeast Queensland residents within 20 years. Picture: Mark Calleja.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11207224%255E952,00.html
_________________________________________________________________________________
Residential high-rises to shoot up
Craig Johnstone, state editor
28oct04
HIGH-density apartment blocks are likely to spring up in areas such as Coorparoo, Cleveland and Strathpine as the regional plan tries to concentrate residential development around major transport nodes.
The plan proposes several "transit-oriented developments" throughout the region, most of them near major rail and bus stations where it says high-density residential and commercial projects should be built.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman flagged a relaxation of the 10-storey height limit in Brisbane suburbs to accommodate such development.
The plan says transit-oriented developments should have densities of between 20 and 80 dwellings a hectare, which is likely to encourage big apartment blocks in suburbs that happen to have major train or bus stations.
The plan proposes that such development also be concentrated in corridors running between Bowen Hills and Lutwyche in the north and between Woolloongabba and Greenslopes in the south, to take advantage of the city's burgeoning busway system.
However these proposed new high-density developments around transport centres are likely to prove one of the most contentious aspects of the plan.
Community and resident groups have fiercely resisted past attempts to cluster housing around rail and bus stations.
However the plan warns that continuing to provide low-density detached housing to accommodate the region's increased population is "unsustainable both in terms of land consumption and the cost of providing urban services".
Premier Peter Beattie yesterday said the high-density development did not need to be in the form of high-rise apartments.
"But if we do not do more around transport nodes, we are going to be stuffed," he said.
Cr Newman acknowledged there had been political difficulties in the past convincing people of the need to increase density close to public transport services.
"People don't like density . . . there's been bad development," he said. "We are encouraging quality development. We believe we can create exciting new communities in Brisbane, especially in the urban renewal areas."
He said Brisbane City Council had a 10-storey height limit for buildings outside the CBD but there were parts of the city where he was prepared to see buildings go higher.
Other suburbs identified in the plan as suitable for transit-oriented developments include Indooroopilly, Toowong, Milton, Springwood, Springfield, Goodna, Redbank and Caboolture.
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11207365%255E3102,00.html
_______________________________________________________________________________
Beattie U-turn on western bypass
Craig Johnstone, state editor
28oct04
PREMIER Peter Beattie yesterday pledged to build a western bypass road to improve traffic flow in southeast Queensland.
In what amounts to an about-face for his Government on the need for a bypass west of Brisbane, Mr Beattie said the road needed to be built to stop the city choking on traffic congestion.
"It's got to happen," he said.
"We have got to find out where to do it, but we have to do it."
The draft regional plan commits the Government to identifying and preserving corridors for "necessary network improvements" in western Brisbane, including the bypass.
The plan also pledges to "complete an orbital road system in Brisbane to complement an overall network of north-south and east-west arterial connections".
Mr Beattie said the western bypass proposal was one of the most controversial parts of the plan but "inevitably it has to happen".
"But if we don't do that then the city chokes," Mr Beattie said.
"The reality is while this is a very difficult political issue, we have to find a solution to it.
"We haven't got a particular timeline in relation to it, but we will do it as soon as we possibly can."
Planning for a western bypass has stalled since it was last proposed by the former Borbidge government in 1997 as part of its regional transport plan.
The Beattie Government had been reluctant to embrace the road because of its potential to cut through several Labor electorates to the west and north of the city.
Other key transport projects proposed by the draft regional plan are heavily geared to encouraging development along the so-called western corridor.
The plan says a new "multi-user infrastructure corridor" including road, rail and other connections would link new industrial areas south of Ipswich with the existing Yatala industrial estate.
It also proposes new public transport corridors to better link the fast-growing Springfield and Ripley Valley areas with Brisbane, as well as an eastern busway and an extended northern busway for Brisbane.
Other high transport priorities the plan identifies include upgrading rail links between Brisbane and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. The plan says the Brisbane/Gold Coast line is rapidly approaching capacity and will need to undergo improvements such as a staged duplication, development of new stations and extension of the line south of Robina.
On the Sunshine Coast, the plan says a priority should be providing a "dedicated intra-regional public transport spine" linking the major centres of Caloundra and Maroochydore.
"This could start as bus priority and be used for rail when potential capacity warrants," the plan says.
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11207300%255E3102,00.html
____________________________________________________________________________________
jt