The Property Council today expressed strong support for Lord Mayor Campbell Newman's calls that Brisbane needs to ‘go up if we can’t go out.’
Property Council Queensland Executive Director, Steve Greenwood, said “The Lord Mayor’s proposal to increase building density in Brisbane is the right decision, if we are to accommodate the requirements of the South East Queensland Regional Plan.”
“The draft South East Queensland Regional Plan calls for regional infill growth of 325 500 dwellings between 2006 and 2031 to house its share of over 1.6 million new people coming to SEQ,” Mr Greenwood said.
“Brisbane’s share of that is nearly 40%, or 126,500 of the total new infill dwellings in South East Queensland - and Brisbane City Council is showing strong leadership and taking action to meet these State Government established targets.
“This means that we will need the equivalent of 48, 20-storey towers to be constructed each year, for the next 22 years, to deliver on these assumptions – that’s 1054 towers between now and 2031.
“Over 80% of all new dwellings in Brisbane are proposed to be built into our existing suburbs in the next 20-plus years, and we must find places to accommodate these people,” Mr Greenwood said.
“We understand that residents may have some concerns about the proposed changes.
“However, many of us remember that there were similar levels of community concern raised when Southbank and the Tenneriffe urban renewal areas were proposed.
“These areas are now widely regarded as huge success stories - by the residents that live there and also by visitors to Brisbane.
“I am confident that the new higher density areas we will see emerging over the next 20 years will be just as successful.
“The low-hanging fruit and real opportunities for Brisbane are building alongside our expanding rail and busway network. Where better to concentrate new residents, jobs and services than at high-frequency public transport hubs?
“With housing affordability a forefront issue for Queenslanders, it is important that we maximise the opportunities our city presents for the creation of new, affordable homes.
“To make this happen, we need to ensure that State’s planning system does everything it can to support transit oriented development (TODs) and more efficient land use.
“The State’s Integrated Planning Act needs to be urgently amended to enable delivery of the Regional Plan – including designating these TOD sites for a special, fast-tracked development assessment process.
“Council planning schemes also need to be updated urgently to enable this style of development to occur. At present the process of amendment is taking years, when in reality it should take no more than six months.
“This is a new and exciting phase in the development and growth of Brisbane and it will lead to a greater diversity of lifestyles and quality of life for Brisbane's residents.
“The State and Council need to work together in conjunction with industry to make it happen.”
