Residents listened to on Wakerley eyesore redevelopment
Brisbane City Council has imposed strict conditions on the redevelopment of a Wakerley eyesore into a community hall to ensure its approval does not impact on the amenity of local residents after closely listening to their concerns.
Neighbourhood Planning and Development Assessment Chairman Amanda Cooper said Gospel Trust’s proposal to build a small community hall for use by its members was in line with Labor’s City Plan 2000 and the area’s current zoning of ‘emerging community’, which requires that residential development “is supported by local centres and basic community facilities”.
However Cr Cooper said Council had listened to over 600 submissions from the local community and had addressed concerns with parking, traffic, noise, lighting and the environment.
This included limiting usage hours, widening local roads and approving a 33 per cent increase in the number of off street car parks above what was legally required,she said.
“As with any development, Council has carefully considered each and every submission to ensure this community hall does not adversely impact on local residents and I believe officers have achieved a very good balance with this approval,” Cr Cooper said.
“Essentially we’re talking about a small hall no bigger than an average single storey house with a minimum buffer of about 40 metres to the nearest property, which is about 10 to 15 times the distance between houses in neighbouring estates.”
Cr Cooper said Council did not expect any significant increase in parking and traffic numbers in the area as a result of the development, with Gospel Trust advising a maximum of only about 12 families were expected to use the hall at any one time.
She said Dianthus Street was also classified as a ‘District Road’ designated to carry up to 15,000 vehicles per day and should therefore be able to“comfortably absorb” the small number of vehicles expected to visit the facility.
Cr Cooper said this was particularly true given Dianthus Street was already home to a busy childcare centre, shopping strip, sporting fields and a school.
However Cr Cooper said Council had placed strict conditions on the approval requiring Dianthus and Basella Streets to be widened by about 1.5 metres and new footpaths and kerb and channeling be built along the length of both roads to make it even safer for local residents and parents and students travelling to the nearby childcare centre and Gumdale State School.
Cr Cooper said the community had been consulted in line with council’s strict guidelines and any future expansion of the site would have to go back out for public comment.
Key Development Conditions Imposed by Council:
Air conditioning must be provided inside the building so they can keep doors and windows shut during activities to reduce noise
A sound limiting device must beinstalled into the amplification system
A 1.8m acoustic barrier will have to bebuilt around the car park to reduce noise
Hours of operation limited to 7AM to 8PM each day to reduce noise and light
New footpath to be built along full length of Basella and Dianthus Streets to make it safer for pedestrians, including school students
New kerb and channelling (guttering) along full length of Basella and Dianthus Streets
Road to be widened 1.5m to 23m alongfull length of Dianthus and Basella Streets to ensure better and safer traffic flow
Rehabilitating the site and implementing a vegetation management plan, including the removal of weeds and restoration of neighbouring wetlands
The implementation of a vegetation covenant over wetlands on the property to protect its future
