Campbell Newman's plan for the Howard Smith Wharves.
A giant 9 storey hotel under and around the Story Bridge will be a planning disaster for Brisbane.
It will funnel thousands of vehicles per day through a narrow, dangerous access to the site, shared by pedestrians and cyclists.
In breach of the Howard Smith Wharves Heritage Listing, the 300-room hotel will hide the cliffs, obliterate the iconic vistas and permanently alienate this area as a public space.
We want the wharves to be a welcoming, colouful, safe addition to our city. Not a dangerous, over-crowded, over-developed place.
It is a place for people. Not a giant hotel.
Thankyou Brisbane for lodging more than 200 objections.
More than 200 written objections is a powerful response from the concerned residents of Brisbane. Don't stop there.
Now you can still be heard by emailing Infrastructure Minister Stirling Hinchliffe and local member Grace Grace.
Email addresses opposite.
Writing a submission / objection.
Heading:
HOWARD SMITH WHARVES, BOUNDARY ST., BRISBANE.
DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION NUMBER A002165832
Then write your objections based on such issues as
# Loss of prime, riverfront, public parkland.
# Significant traffic generation in a narrow cul de sac, with dangers for pedestrians and cyclists.
# Heritage destruction, including the entire, heritage listed site, the views and cliffs.
# Massive over-development of the site, out of context with its heritage listed wharves and buildings.
We need the government to stop this plan now.
There are disturbing precedents here for the heritage process in brisbane and a disaster in the making for traffic in this corner of the city. It will put intolerable pressure on the already choked Adelaide street/Boundary street access, and present a clear danger to pedestrians attempting to use what remains of the riverwalk.
Does the Government know a state election is coming up. Surely it will do something about this.
ReplyDeleteThis is as much of a disaster for Brisbane as the North Bank proposal threatened to be !
ReplyDeleteI am very uncomfortable with Lord Mayor Newman's development approval process. Fundling (which is what developers do when they give political parties money) is the only explanation.
ReplyDeleteThe extent of the development is far too much, especially the large hotel that is planned. Road access to this area is extremely limited and will easily be pushed past breaking point with all the infrastructure Campbell is trying to squeeze in.
ReplyDeleteAs a long term resident of the New Farm area, I cannot believe the Lord Mayors short sighted plans for this wonderful open space. He should be looking to develop the site as open space for all residents of the area, along with the residents located in the high riser's located at the city end of the wharfs.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful opportunity we have here in creating a lasting open space for all brisbane to enjoy. We should only be developing the current wharf's only, noting adding further buildings which would only create a further traffic nightmare for the residents in Boundary Street, but also for the residents in Bowen Terrace and Moray Street.
What can 117 Car spaces provide for this development. Absolutely nothing, Campbell I suggest you review this plan immediately, you have all ready provided the rate payers of this area with a 300% increase on rates, what are you trying to do now, make them suffer further with the increased tarffic to the area.
Grace Grace, and Premier remember that an election is close, if you want to do something lasting for the area, STOP THIS DEVELOPMENT.
The Council wants to save the heritage listed town hall but wants to ruin the heritage listed Howard Street Wharves area which in my view is far more significant to Brisbane's identity and history.
ReplyDeleteYou cant have it both ways Lord Mayor all heritage listed buildings should be saved and respected even those that you don't work in.
What is the National Trust doing about this? What are The Greens and Grace Grace doing?
Stop the development it will be a disaster!
This is mad. Part of the role of the Council is to protect the City against developers that want to make a profit at the cost of our City.The Lord Mayor and Council are the developers on this.
ReplyDeleteThis heritage listed area was given to the BCC in a land swap to be parkland. The State Government needs to hold the Lord mayor to that.
What are the politicians doing about this. lets see which of them really have green credentials.
How is it possible to plonk a bloody great hotel underneath the Story Bridge when the entire park, its cliffs and views are all Heritage Listed. Something very strange is going on here.
ReplyDeleteMost Brisbane people (and obviously the Lord Mayor) don't seem to understand the importance of the Howard Smith Wharves and the park around them. It's a bit like the Sydney Council bulldozing the Rocks area underneath the Harbour Bridge. If this happened anywhere else, the public would be going crazy.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely disgusting that our political leaders would be happy to destroy part of our heritage and deface the riverfront with more ugly monstrosities. Waterfronts belong to the people and the Howard Smith Wharves and air raid shelter are part of our history.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Campbell Newman's assertion that development of Howard Smith Wharf is an improvement on Public Open Space. The fact that the existing space is not preserved is a disgrace that should not require private capital to substitute for preservation by Council. I disagree with the hypothesis that development by Private Capital is an improvement in amenity superior to preservation of open space. I suggest that the riverfront at the cliffs adds as much value to tourism in a preserved state as it would in a developed state. There are two cliffs in Brisbane which contribute to an open River aspect. Both should be preserved. Witness the development at the Gas works and other sites where access to the river is deliberately prevented by Developers. The supremacy of financial gain over Public interest should not be permitted. The amenity is lost to majority by the sectional interests of the few. The cliffs as they are are iconic, a hotel and other commercial buildings are not. The wharves, sheds and military relics are part of our scarce history, a hotel and commercial buildings are not. Campbell Newman's obsession with the zero sum game between public and commercial interest is reprehensible. The public space of Howard Smith Wharf should be a retreat from not connection to the commerce of the City. As a pedestrian under constant threat from vehicular traffic illegally cluttering the pathways outside hotels I suggest that mixed traffic and pedestrian precintcts should be avoided. Perhaps more importantly, the Howard Smith wharves are a refuge for trees, lizards, snakes, frogs, birds and indigenous flora. The imported flora should not have been allowed to populate the cliffs.
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor's claim that a large hotel is needed on a heritage listed park so that the parkland can be maintained without cost to Council is unacceptable. Why can't the largest Council in Australia afford to maintain parkland? Council's 2008-2009 budget proposes more than $1.7 billion in spending and Council will receive over $1.1 billion in rates this financial year, yet they "can't afford" to maintain parland. Council are failing to manage their budget responsibly and are siphoning too much money into poorly justified mega-projects such as the North-South Bypass Tunnel.
ReplyDeleteWe have two concerns about the proposed plan. First, with the four existing heritage buildings and the proposed construction of three or four new buildings on the site, there will be far too many buildings for land designated as “primarily parkland”. There appears to be a distinct lack of open grassed areas. Yet it is these types of areas that are needed. As evidence, we note the demands placed on Captain Burke Park across the river: This is packed with people on most weekends. We consider that the use of the renovated heritage buildings for restaurants, shops and other commercial ventures will more than adequately cater for the needs of the park users and will provide sufficient revenue for the Council, to remove the need for the proposed two or three new buildings in precinct 2. This area of precinct 2 should be developed as open, tree-shaded grassland.
ReplyDeleteSecond, we are surprised that the proposed plan does not include any provision for access by public transport. If the development of the wharves as a “new riverside destination” then surely public access is a factor. There appears to be limited access and parking for private cars and we fully endorse this aspect. But surely a City Cat or City Ferry terminal should be considered? Doesn’t the proposed inner city rail upgrade project have proposed routes that pass close by this site?
If the Council is selling off Brisbane's heritage listed parks, what's next ? Why not flog off the Botanic gardens and privatise King George Square. Or better still, let's turn City Hall into a 'boutique hotel'.
ReplyDeleteThe Lord Mayor and Council have to go back to the drawing board and re look at the plans for the Wharves. A huge hotel and convention centre is not the way. The area can be revitalised whilst still maintaing the Iconic Heritage listed features of the site. We can have a vibrant area and maintain the integrity of the Howard Smith Wharves without destroying it such as the Hobart waterfront or Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteThis plan is a disgrace. This was given to the Council to use as public parkland not for a private development. The Council say it will still be 80% public space. You only have to look at their plan to see the hotel and convention centre takes up about half of the usuable space in the area. The Council have to scrap the hotel that nobody wants and rethink the area as it was promised - for the public to use as mostly parkland.
ReplyDeleteHang on a minute guys. Don't get carried away. The Wharves are fairly ramshackle these days, and as your photo above shows, there's nothing natural about the place at all. I walk and cycle through here as regularly as anyone, and it's hardly a place to linger, especially at night. These Wharves need a bit of life, and a hotel would be a good part of the mix. It's easy to overlook the fact that there is a great deal of public benefit in these plans. Whether the hotel should have 100 or 200 or 300 rooms is missing the point. Have you considered that maybe Brisbane could be short of hotels and maybe very short of any that could be described as iconic? And we have no problem celebrating buildings under bridges. Look at the Story Bridge Hotel. Sure, make your point about the scale of one building, if that is your point, but don't ruin a chance to turn this site into something special for locals and visitors. And please don't bleat on about traffic. Then you will never be taken seriously. SP
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that Premier Bligh today proudly walked the media through the old TAFE college site on the Kangaroo Point cliffs that she's handing back as public parkland, while the Lord Mayor is doing precisely the opposite across the river at the Howard Smith Wharves.
ReplyDeleteWhy won't Anna Bligh use her clearly definied State Government powers to stop Newman selling off this important piece of parkland for use as a hotel ?
George, New Farm.
i live in newfarm area for a year now and i use that walk way everyday for keeping fit . thats the only place i can go that is nice . i dont drive so where am i suppose to go ??? i hate the idea of shops and hotel havent we already got enough shops. i will not be using the area if you build shops etc there i will refuse to . i thought we were going in to ressession anyway so where is this money coming from to build it ? maybe make into a nice park or take down the fences and the sheds have always been there it will be strange with out them
ReplyDelete