Announcement at a recent St Lucia Community Association meeting


Phone 07 3371 9355 or Email

30 November 2003

Original commentary on this positive development by Michael Yeates...

(Read a response by Robyn Emerson of the St Lucia Community Association and a follow-up reply from Michael Yeates following this article...)

Some especially good news from the St Lucia Community Association meeting yesterday was the announcement that UQ has changed its policy as a landlord of the large number of houses it owns near the university. In the past, these houses have been rented to students. Not from now on it seems.

Many of you will be aware that St Lucia changed rapidly from a farming and "bush" area to suburban development along the route of what is now Hawken Drive after World War ll ... in part as a response to the development of the university.

As the St Lucia History Group is "discovering", there are numerous houses in this precinct which are of considerable historical and architectural merit. They have no protection from BCC and little if any public identification or recognition. Many are at great risk. Some are gone. The former Vice-Chancellors residence is one example.

The UQ owned properties are easily identified ... they are mostly in appalling condition, poorly maintained, poor to non-existing garden care, cars parked all over the front yard, rubbish and bins on the footpath, cars parked on footpaths ...you name a symptom of a 'blighted' property, its there .. and if you are still in doubt, the houses can be identified by an official red and white UQ sign...!

UQ management of these properties has been so poor that I have made a collection of photos of some of the houses ... as an example not only of a bad landlord, but how a bad landlord can not only destroy the amenity of the neighbourhood, it can deliberately act to force down the prices of neighbouring houses and thus effectively, by buying properties 'spotted' throughout an area, effectively control not only the future of the area, but also reduce the price and timing of purchase. This then effects local shopping, schools etc and the effect rolls on...!

Who is going to want to invest in improving a house in a street or precinct where one landlord controls sites and prices?

The good news is ...!

UQ has decided that the houses have better investment value if they are maintained for use by staff, visitors and (hopefully responsible) post-graduate students ... better maintained, better landscaped, probably fewer tenants in each house, arguably a return of 'family' tenants which is good news for Ironside State School and local kindergartens, and probably a better rental return.

That is without taking into account the extremely negative impact in PR terms of the previous UQ management policy.

Hopefully one can look forward to what might almost be described as a 'university village' housing precinct as a result of this decision ... rather than the classic 'blighting' example currently in place.

Hopefully, the numerous houses of architectural merit will be identified and where practical, restored towards their original quality as high quality, not necessarily expensive, and in some cases, innovative, family homes in a classic Brisbane suburban setting.

Previous BCC support for the parking restrictions has been successful, albeit tentative. The scheme now needs to be extended and where necessary modified to encourage less use of cars for travel to UQ.

Speed limits along Hawken Drive should be reduced to 50 ... perhaps less through Ironside and St Lucia shopping centres especially with more and more buses. The yellow BIKE symbol system needs to be extended to encourage more cycling along Swann Road and Hawken Drive.

This is potentially a wonderful decision.

However it may depend on UQ support for funds to ensure it happens. If you have any contacts, please use them to promote and publicise this initiative. If it is successful in restoring this precinct, it will provide a model for others to follow.

Universities, including UQ, increasingly promote their role in working with the community ... a role that UQ has arguably failed to achieve in St Lucia in recent times. It would be wonderful to be able to change that report card ... the sooner the better ... a "7" rather than a "3"...!

A "4" or a "5" will do for 2004!

If you are interested in this "blighting" effect caused by 'developers' buying selectively, it is worth a walk around the streets from Carmody Road to Upland Road between UQ and the shopping centre.

Then stop for a coffee or feed in "the village" where you can absorb the enormous impact that UQ has had ... and what this decision could achieve.

Then when you look at other Brisbane suburbs and probably yours, you will see the same effect is increasingly becoming obvious. You can pick the houses that look like the residents care ... most of those that don't look like that are probably already in the hands of developers ... or potentially for sale for development ...!

This is not just a St Lucia problem ... it is increasingly being 'encouraged' throughout the inner and middle rings of Brisbane ... it is the direct outcome of (i) landlords accumulating portfolios of properties (ii) development rather than preservation and (iii) a strong pro-development bias and the incentives in the current Town Plan.

As a university with a town planning school and a social policy area, the least that might be expected is the university being a good neighbour ... here is a great opportunity ...!

Of course this won't necessarily mean that prices of properties in the area will increase but at least the area won't continue to be increasingly turned into a 'blighted' student enclave progressively deteriorating over time, and being destroyed as a direct result of UQ property management policy.

Thanks UQ ... there will be plenty of community support!

Michael Yeates


1 December 2003
Michael

Thanks for this message, which has eloquently summarised the impact on the adjoining St Lucia community from years of UQ's combined expansionism (buy any house which goes on the market!) and neglect (then stuff it full of students and completely ignore it!). More power and less responsibility is always a worrying principle.

There are some better influences being felt within the university which appear to be turning around this situation. Both UQ and neighbouring residents can look forward to the benefits of better management.

I hope your message can also be forwarded to Alex Poulsen, who is certainly one of these better influences.

I would prefer, however, that we don't ever refer to this area as a 'university village'. This raises quite a different question of the university-owned properties being rezoned and redeveloped as high to medium density student accommodation, which does not meet the needs of a diverse community.

Robyn


1 December 2003
Hi all ... and thanks Robyn ... this IS an extremely important initiative ...

As I don't have an address for Mr Poulsen, feel free to pass the whole email on ...

Regarding the "village", it is already St Lucia Village is it not ... and it would now seem much more unlikely that UQ would be spending the necessary dollars on these sites only to try to have them rezoned for demolition ... of course one continuing role for community groups is the responsibility of "eternal vigilance" ..!

Which sites that UQ tackles first ... and how well ... will give an indication of the intention.

Michael Yeates