Planning principles for a sustainable West End
The following principles are proposed by a group of concerned citizens living or working in South Brisbane and West End, in collaboration with their local representative, Councillor Helen Abrahams, to achieve the beneficial, sensitive and progressive planning and development of the suburb over the next two decades. The principles take account of both the district’s special role and place in the city of Brisbane and its capacity to maintain its unique contribution to the quality and prosperity of the wider metropolis.
1. Community Participation
There should be genuine, open and effective community participation, including opportunities for individuals and organisations of residents, workers, and cultural, professional and business communities to be involved in the development and review of proposals for future development of the suburb. This should include continuing dialogue with collaborative adoption of aims, consultation over relevant information, review of policy options, development of a Community Vision and participation in the continuing implementation of the plan.
2. Natural Environment and Built Form
The particular character and location of the South Brisbane and West End Peninsula, encircled within a sweeping meander of the Brisbane River opposite and balancing the high rise city centre, should be recognized, maintained and enhanced. The area’s natural endowment of continuous riverside open space offers universal access and active movement has been maintained and improved by previous councils. It must now be protected in all future development plans with a 20 metre strip of riverfront land safeguarded from building or overshadowing. All new development should be terraced back from this riverside open space. Further back, maximum height levels should be restricted to 7-8 storeys, with consideration being given to 15 storeys on the Parmalat and Peel Street sites, and areas close to the South Brisbane Railway Station.
3. Economic Role
The suburb of South Brisbane and West End should continue to make unique contributions to the metropolitan economy as an inner city urban village accommodating creative, cultural, professional and commercial activities, complementary to those of the adjacent city centre and universities, by attracting and promoting new knowledge, high technology and creative industries.
4. Appropriate form and style of development
South Brisbane and West End should be developed as unique and valuable places in their own right and not as characterless extensions of the high rise city centre. This has already been given ample provisions for expansion within its own central peninsula by the imaginative proposals of the award winning City Centre Master Plan of 2007. Further intensive and high rise city centre activities should continue to be located in the rapidly developing commercial areas of Milton, Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley. South Brisbane with its good public transport is well suited to complementary “back office” activities, with medium density structures rising to 15 storeys close to public transport nodes. West End, on the other hand, should be planned to evolve as a medium density, mixed use area, with residential, home occupation, specialist shop and small office uses, and maintenance of the current 7 storey height limit.
5. Integrated provision of Social and Physical Infrastructure
All planning proposals in the suburb should be accompanied by funded commitments to the necessary related physical and social infrastructure, in keeping with the adopted policies of the Brisbane City Council and the Queensland State Government. These include both Brisbane City Council’s commitment to preparing Infrastructure Charging Codes in association with all new plans so that development companies benefiting from new construction can make appropriate contributions to the costs of necessary new physical infrastructure; and the State Government’s adoption of the enlightened principles of Planning Implementation Guideline Number 5 of SEQ Regional Plan “Social Infrastructure” which indicates that population increases of 20,000 people would require up to five new Primary Schools, and numerous new health and open space provisions.