Commentary re recent letters to the Editor


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14 July 2003

Recent letters to the editor ...

Did you see the excellent letter from Paul de Barro in the recent (July 2) SWN ... thanks Paul. It is worth recording...

City Plan flawed... So who is protecting the old Queenslander? Doesn't look like it's City Plan. We hear talk from Tim Quinn and others about protecting Brisbane's character. We have City Plan and local area plans to help ensure this, or so council would like us to believe. The reality is there are no rules, only guidelines.

An example is a well-restored Quensland timber house at Indooroopilly built in the 1920s. Council has approved its demolition. It is in a demolition control precinct and would appear to be protected. But here's the out clause, which is not in the plan. This home is not next door to another pre-1946 home, so it gets the axe. Aparently, despite the fact that two doors down are three more splendid timber homes, this home does not add character. Didn't see that particular loophole in City Plan.

Right now the elements of City Plan that aim to protect Brisbane's character do not work. As a resident you end up having to fight council and the developer to get changes to a development application. The process disempowers the resident. - Paul De Barro, Indooroopilly Well said Paul ...! The house is at #28 Central Avenue ... and if you think your house or precinct is safe on the basis of character, this one is worth a visit ....! There is also a huge hole in the ground almost diagonally opposite ... for more development in the dissappearing backyard ... as also on Lambert Road ...!

It is also worth noting that Council has very recently approved a development IN THE MIDDLE of the row of oldies on Railway Avenue so now the same logic can be applied there ... an old trick going back at least 12 years!

More letters needed ... We need more such letters as the number of DA's in WTN is suddenly "on the up" and despite the rhetoric of the now Lord Mayor and his Councillors, the houses continue to go ... or be moved ...! The latest being IRONY ... where it appears nobody seems to mind if it is repleaced by a typical "modern" 3-4 storey block of units ... don't forget, appeal rights exist but you must be quick!

Interesting too as the community history groups "discover" or perhaps "uncover" more of the local history, to find several houses that have strong connections to early families and the houses themselves of some merit. However, the houses are in poor condition and give the impression that they are intended for demolition or removal! BEWARE this strategy...!

It also raises an interesting ethical and moral dillemma ... should "we" publicise this process and the possible or likely loss of local "character" and "history"?

As the University of Queensland houses in St Lucia along Hawken Drive demonstrate (they have parking signs on them), "developers" can depress the values of both the adjoining properties (then buy them cheaper or encourage others to do so) and their own property (by not maintaining the house and its surrounds) until redevelopment seems a good solution ... because over time, people have forgotten what the area was like ...! Surely this would be a good strategy by those wanting to develop the area ... or destroy it first... depending on one's point of view?

Similarly, the "redevelopment" of the St Lucia golf course "clubhouse" has the potential to destroy the remains of the fabulous old house which is the core of the old clubhouse ... have a look at the photos and read the articles in the club bar ... It could be retored ... It is public access space at least it is for the present and while the photos and articles are on display ...!

Also a great letter in The Courier-Mail (July 5, 2003) ... History in perspective ... I refer to the removal of a house on Dornoch Terrace, Highgate Hill (C-M, July 4). Brisbane City Council should be ashamed. I don't buy the "our hands are tied by the town plan" excuse. Let's put it in perspective. Queensland is 144 years old; this house has stod on its site for 93 years; Australia has been settled for 215 "white fella" years. Just do the sums. The town plan should protect and preserve our history; not allow it to be sold off to developers. The council should take responsibility for our fragile social history. There should be an investigation into olfder houses, especially those that are not heritage listed and therefore vulnerable. The council's best source of information is ratepayers who care about where they live. - Bobbie Blackson, Annerley.

WELL SAID BOBBIE ...! ... BUT WILL THE COUNCILLORS OF EITHER SIDE REALLY LISTEN, AND IF THEY DO, WHAT WILL THEY DO THEN?

I have invited a leading ALP councillor out to Indooroopilly to inspect the number of sites with houses being removed after she rather assertively if not aggressively criticised my comments at a recent National Trust event at which I showed just some of the many Indooroopilly examples of house removal. The fact she would not visit our area speaks for itself ... about the City Plan and its character protection aims. The offer is still available to Administration Councillors and also to the opposition. If they accept, any volunteers to come on an inspection tour with them?

"Trees add to top streets' bottom line" is the headline in the same edition of the C-M (page 16) ... The article commences "Trees may well make the street. A report released this week shows streets with plenty of greenery are likely to have higher median house prices." It is however worth bearing in mind that the trees take a long time to mature and that as the trees on private land and on Council properties are removed, they have to be replaced ... presumably along the streets ... but until these suburbs are secure from houses AND trees being removed, perhaps higher house values are not necessarily a good thing!

On the same topic, and noting Council's supposed support for preservation of mature trees, I was recently told of a development where Council apparently approved the removal of a mature street tree to allow the old Q to be removed ...!

And also ... There is also a number of people interested in forming a group to try to better protect mature trees ...! This is a wonderful idea as we all seem to like the large trees as part of the precinct ambience (see below re the army barracks "forest") ... but we don't really notice them until they are gone ... and then we don't take long to get used to them not being there ...! Then the jacarandas and leopard trees "come" ...!

More interest groups .... a good thing? This raises the issue of the need for the various interest groups to be sufficiently well informed on their specific area of interest in order to attract attention and support from the community, the media and of course, from both council and their masters, the developers... while at the same time being well connected with other groups operating on related issues.

One of the most important "linking" roles is performed by the local history groups now established in Indoroopilly, St Lucia and Toowong (and hopefully soon in Taringa). These groups are providing very sound evidence of the social, cultural and iconic values of our local history ... and its importance ... telling the stories that add value to preserving some of the important links ... and not just isolated special relics, but precincts.

There is a dire need for active and well-informed groups to pursue public campaigns to protect the mature trees, to protect the older housing and other buildings, to protect the precinct level ambience against increased traffic and to negotiate with developers, council and local and state politicians in regard to "new" developments...

In the latter category, the local Liberal candidate for Indooroopillly is (or at least appears to be) promoting the provision of Park'n'ride facilities at Indooroopilly station as previously suggested some 5 years or more ago. But this is in an area where the local buses don't even go to the train station! The Army Barracks has already being subdivided with the "general's residence" sold off ... there is no reason why the rest of the barracks couldn't be a car park or a multi-storey development whether for cars or more units. But as we all know, providing more parking attracts MORE cars and therefore INCREASES traffic congestion ... as does removing the kerbside car parking to allow MORE traffic to travel through a given corridor...!

At some point, congestion is, paradoxically, useful ... as is restricted parking ... both tend to discourage excessive car use ... so the long term benefit to Indooroopilly appears to be the retention of the army barracks (eg for the UQ regiment) and then we get to keep the wonderful mature "forest" (increasingly scarce Brisbane eucs of various types) and those birds ... and hopefully get improved bus services and properly responsive on-street parking ... with the necessary congestion.

Otherwise, why not build another road bridge across the river, more parking, more development, and the "necessary" road widenings all through Indooroopilly, St Lucia and Chelmer-Graceville ... to allow for less congestion ... and for more traffic .. but how long until it is all congested again due to increased traffic?

Indooroopilly station certainly needs to be upgraded to disabled access standards ... but it does NOT need Park'n'ride and it doesn't need the pedestrian overpass ... it needs lifts and a pedestrian crossing of Coonan Street at the Station Road traffic lights... and a stormwater drian to the river (not a small pump) ... some local traffic re-directions to allow buses to get to and from the station... no road widening and no loss of parking... or trees ... or old Qs...!

Some good news? Certainly some good news is welcome ... and it justifies the community stridently advocating for the retention of the older houses ...! Following on the improvements to "St Albans" (in Moggill Road between the Toowong telephone exchange and BBC but only look if you are stopped in the traffic...!), it appears that the "Keating House" (cnr Westminster Road and Coonan Street) is to be preserved as professional offices with some unit development aded to the site. As this really is one of the very well known "icons" of Indooroopilly, this is good news.

However, it will destroy the building and its significance if the garden area between the house and Coonan Street is not retained (with its mature plantings) ... so every effort should be made to support appropriate relaxations to allow the "significance" to be retained. One obvious relaxation is reduced provision of car parking which, with such good public transport and local shopping and other services, hardly requires two or more cars ... or even one...!

Interestingly, and related directly to this view, there is still a story that has not been denied that Brisbane City Council wants the army barracks for a large development for low cost public housing ... because of the proximity to the services and public transport!

The last remaing farm house in Indooroopilly East is up for "development" on the bend of Miers Road Long Pocket (between Castile and Cadiz Streets) ... auction soon. One of the houses of the famous Redhead family who had a historic involvement as both producers and retail vendors of GENUINELY "fresh" milk, it is another opportunity for council to show how well its character protection actually works ...! (For a good example and a comparison with the IRONY saga, search at www.ourindooroopilly.com and insert IRONY... and have a look at the preserved house at West End...!).

And #15 Sisley Street in St Lucia ... a real gem on a large block of land ... is also up for development ...! There is also a beaut little white house across the road with a "sixpack" on one side and a vacant lot on the other! Worth a visit as further down Sisley Street on the southern side, there is 3 or more adjoining site, all just sold ... what is to happen there?! (See photo below)

A walk of interest? As Indooroopilly has a considerable wealth of quality character and historic housing under threat, it might be useful to encourage people to walk through the area ... as much of it is under threat or going ... and before it is gone. Anyone interested might suggest some times and dates possibly even in the evening eg a wonderful moonlit walk?

Please feel free to circulate ... and discuss ... responses welcomed to the address list. Michael Yeates