Walter Taylor South Action Group
Meeting 11am Sunday March 9
Tomorrow morning [11am Sunday March 9], Walter Taylor South Action Group (WTSAG) is holding a public meeting at St David's Church Hall, Chelmer to provide a forum for:
- residents to express their concerns over recent development activities in the area
- politicians to respond to these concerns.
WTSAG have concentrated their efforts on several important issues with enormous impact on their area ... namely the small lot housing and of particular interest more widely, the fact that residents have much less legal rights than developers in terms of appeals, brought about by the state government's IPA (Integrated Planning Act) and "plans" made under it ... in this case the "Town Plan" FOR the FUTURE of Brisbane ...!.
Make no mistake ... these "plans" DO PLAN THE FUTURE ... that is why the state government implemented IPA ... to massively change SEQ in particular ...!!!
The latter is therefore of great concern to us as it effectively protects BOTH Council decisions AND developers proposals from almost every form of "legal" scrutiny ... made worse UNLESS Council and all Councillors stand up for the PRINCIPLES of the Council's own Town Plan ...rather than standing up for the interests of developers ... and "growth" and "jobs", much of which is based primarily on building and knocking down or moving houses and building and widening roads...!
[ WTSAG has a very informative website well worth a "visit" at this address.
However, I noticed one common but extremely important "error" in regard to inspecting proposed project applications. Many people are unaware that following a very commendable decision by Council, proposals are also able to be inspected at the relevant Ward Councillor's office ... not ONLY at City Hall.]
We all know that Council is far more inclined to allow relaxations and even "illegal" development rather than defend the amenity and quality of local precincts ... and the continued loss of our "character" houses in our area (Walter Taylor North) is but one example ... (see the attachments).
So anyone who can should attend this meeting to support what WTSAG is trying to do.
HOWEVER, you should also be aware that if WTSAG is successful in reducing the
"density" and ease of development of small lot housing only in its area, then this will certainly INCREASE the already existing very high pressure on our area and nearby Toowong, St Lucia and Taringa...!
I have met with WTSAG in an unsuccessful bid to encourage them to work under and support an "umbrella" eg SOBS, but to date they have refused and unfortunately have not even provided copies of Newsletters etc ... despite knowing email and phone contacts etc.
So unfortunately, from a Brisbane perspective, the two groups in Walter Taylor remain no more than classic NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) groups despite good intentions ... and because of this unwillingness to work together with other like groups, in many ways induced by current political processes, both BCC and the state government are likely to continue to treat each group (and the very large number of similar groups) as no more than minor irritations ... and if realy necessary, to be placated locally...!
HOWEVER, I attended a most extraordinary public meeting at Holland Park where the meeting was attended by a lot of people > 400 perhaps. THEY were both angry and very well-informed, partly because they had worked together with other groups ... one of the reasons I was there.
Tim Quinn tried very hard to ignore the meeting but not long after, the whole proposal for significant change to Holland Park was dropped!
We could do that ... IF ...!
Attached are some examples of BCC "character" protection at work ... the first is in Railway Avenue a couple of days ago.
IN PARTICULAR, notice how the approval is for the MIDDLE house in the strip of "character" houses ... EXACTLY the SAME TACTIC used by "six pack" developers during previous BCC administrations and one this Soorley-Quinn administration "promised" to control by its "character" protection "policies"...!
Something really strange is happening here in that I am sure I lodged submissions on both IRONY and Railway Terrace yet I have received no advice from Council.
Is this the same problem as that facing WTSAG? That is, while the "Town Plan" invites you to make submissions to Council, "our" "Have your Say" Council then simply "ignores" the submissions. Is this because we have no appeal rights or Council in most cases correctly assumes that even if the developer is in breach ie by removing a building BEFORE approval has been given (or notification provided to those who made submissions), local residents won't bother or can't make an appeal? The answer is YES.
Because local residents effectively have NO "say", developers and Council can work together for "growth" and "jobs" while precinct amenity and "character" disappear on the back of trucks!
Discouraging as it is for those who work so hard at individual and precinct levels to maintain it as a major component of Brisbane's character and heritage, until local precinct levels "Have a Say", the amenity and character will continue to disappear ...
THAT IS the object of IPA and the current BCC "Town Plan" for the future Brisbane...!
So please support WTSAG ... not just "our back yard" ...!
Michael Yeates
for WTNRAG and SOBS
The photo of a house in the process of being removed from Railway Terrace shows a really good example of "character protection" at work with development approved for a 3-4-5 storey high "modern" block of flats on this site INSERTED IN THE MIDDLE of the remaining "character" houses.
