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More Objections Lodged for Approved 10-Storey Private Hospital on Annerley Road

An approved development plan for a 10-storey hospital on a vacant site along Annerley Road in Woolloongabba has been receiving more objections from the local community, following the filing of a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) application with the State Government.

In 2019, the said site received Council approval (DA A004827412) for a health hub with food and childcare facilities. But the MID (MID-0920-0448) has locals concerned about the potential traffic it could bring to the residential streets.

If approved, the hospital will operate as a 24/7 facility, whose ambulances, delivery or trucks, patients and visitors could impact nearby Heaslop and Lockhart Streets.

“There is already approval for a 10-storey development on this site, for a mix of healthcare services, food and drink and a childcare centre,” Amy MacMahon, the Greens MP for South Brisbane, posted on Facebook. “This new MID application deviates from this, in that a private hospital allows for overnight stays, and 24/7 hours of operation.”

Per Ms MacMahon, an MID has a shorter approval timeframe with no application fees. Submissions also do not need to have a detailed plan and there are no appeals to the State’s decision.

“I think there are some serious questions about whether private, for-profit entities should be able to access this kind of fast-tracked development approval. If there is a big gap in accessible healthcare facilities in South Brisbane, that’s a gap the government should be filling, rather than opening a planning loophole for private companies.

Ms MacMahon said residents have gotten in touch with her about the project’s public benefit as there are already existing hospitals in Brisbane’s southeast: Greenslopes Hospital in Newdegate Street, Princess Alexandra Hospital in Ipswich Road, Mater Hospital in Annerley Road and QEII Hospital in Coopers Plains.

Brisbane South State Secondary College in Dutton Park to Open Amidst Complaints of ‘Unlawful’ Night Works

Construction of the Brisbane South State Secondary College (BSSSC) in Dutton Park has been steadily ramping up in preparation for the first day of the school term on Wednesday, 27 January 2021.

By 2026, Brisbane South State Secondary College will cater to all second years but for this school term, over 200 Year 7students will comprise the first batch who could expect work on the $140-million building to continue within the next weeks.

Assistant Education Minister Brittany Lauga confirmed that construction will continue during school hours but it will be “very considerate” to the learning environment.

Broad Construction has been working late at night until the early hours of the morning without a proper permit from the Council. Neighbours have complained of sleepless nights whilst some have temporarily moved to the homes of other relatives as the contractors finish the building, as well as the road and intersection upgrades within the school’s vicinity.

Gabba Ward Councillor Jonathan Sri has received the complaints since September and has raised these concerns to the Council.

“The private building contractor for the new Dutton Park high school seems to have managed the project poorly, and was way behind schedule,” Gabba Ward Councillor Jonathan Sri said. “They tried to make up for it by doing months and months of nightworks (on top of the usual 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daytime construction), directly across the road from residential properties, robbing people of sleep and peaceful enjoyment of their home.”

“We’ve uncovered that there were no permits for nightworks, so the construction company has been breaking the law and violating the Environmental Protection Act for months now,” Mr Sri added after the Council informed him that compliance was with the State Government, which is behind the project.

“The planning department is working closely with the Brisbane City Council and the contractor to find a solution,” a spokesperson for the State Government said.

Mr Sri is calling for compensation for residents whose lives were disrupted by this project. Nonetheless, the councillor said that everyone is excited about the school’s opening as it will provide for the demands of the expanding inner south.

Better Brisbane 2020: 82% Prefer Life in Brissy Than Anywhere in Australia

The quality of life in Brisbane is still one of the best in Australia, according to 82 percent of survey respondents who said that they would rather live in the River City than anywhere else.

Despite the year of the pandemic, respondents who preferred life in Brisbane rose from 78 percent in 2019 to 82 percent in 2020, whilst 93 percent said that their quality of life remained consistently positive amidst a horrible public health crisis.

Council released the results of the yearly survey in December 2020, which also showed that 91 percent of residents said that they would recommend living in Brisbane.

Some 69 percent of survey respondents expressed that Brisbane’s livability fared better than Sydney, Melbourne and its other Queensland neighours in the last five years. Nearly half of the respondents also believe that their quality of life will only get better in 10 to 20 years in the River City.

The survey had 2,473 respondents above 18 years old who answered the interviews online from Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and neighbouring Queensland regions.

The news comes as median house prices in Brisbane hit a new all-time record in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Data from the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) revealed that Annerley had the third best performing suburb median unit price change at $419,000 or a 19.9 percent jump from the year to September, after Bardon (31.7 percent) and Enoggera (25.9 percent).

REIQ CEO Antonia Mercolla said that “affordability and lifestyle advantages” in these locations have attracted interstate buyers. Property experts said that they expect this trend to be sustained in 2021.

Meanwhile, Brisbane also landed in the Top 10 spot of the World Happiness Report 2020 as the most efficient city in Australia. Melbourne, Perth and Sydney are in 14th, 15th and 20th place.

Safety Upgrades Needed as Truck Movements to Increase in Cornwall St

A petition has been lodged for the inclusion of safety upgrades on Cornwall Street and Kent Street in Annerley in preparation for the increase in truck movements due to the revised Cross River Rail plan.

The trucks could potentially endanger the lives of the residents. Thus, Councillor Nicole Johnston set up the petition as Council is set to do roadworks to widen the said streets.

As of press time, the petition has 177 signatures.

Apparently, the road widening and truck rerouting proposal do not include any pedestrian or cycling facilities to provide a safe crossway for children, cyclists and commuters accessing the Dutton Park Rail Station.

“We need to keep pedestrians safe at the corner of Annerley Rd and Cornwall St near Dutton Park Rail Station,” Ms Johnston said. “With a new high school opening next year, even more people (especially children) will be on foot through this busy area that has no safe crossing point.”

As of the end of November, the Council has implemented traffic changes in the affected Annerley areas.

Kent Street will be one-way from Cornwall to O’Keefe streets for all types of vehicles.

Other changes will soon follow, to include:

Temporarily extending the existing Kent Street shared user path to Cornwall Street, improving connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians
Installing a temporary kerb on Kent Street to delineate the extended shared user path
Changing carpark access on Kent Street to right-in and right-out only
Removal of old and installing new line marking and traffic signage
Removal of the taxi zone on the corner of Cornwall and Kent streets near Dutton Park Station.
Taxis are to use the loading zone on the other side of Kent Street and Cornwall Street

For questions and comments about the safety upgrades or traffic changes due to the Cross River Rail project, locals may phone 1800 010 875.

Council Launches Economic Grants For Annerley Shops, Tenants

Small businesses are having it rough in this pandemic crisis so the Brisbane City Council has launched two different economic grants to help struggling stores in Annerley and other sites, as well as boost the local economy. Aside from waiving the business licensing fees, the Council is providing the Suburban Shopfront Activation Grant and the Suburban Shopfront Improvement Grant.

Suburban Shopfront Activation Grant

Launched in April 2020, the Suburban Shopfront Activation Grant is for both property owners and tenants. The program is designed to limit empty spaces by allowing pop-up occupancy from emerging businesses.

If you own a building or a site with a vacant space or if you’re a small business entrepreneur who might be interested in running a temporary store, you may apply for this grant and receive $2,000 in funding.

Only 24 grants will be offered (12 for property owners and 12 for tenants) during this pilot program. Interested parties are encouraged to read through the conditional prerequisites, eligibility and disclaimer carefully before submitting their application.

Tenants and property owners who shall receive approval will also need to participate in the promotional activities of the Council.

Suburban Shopfront Improvement Grants

The Council is extending help to shop owners who might need to do refurbishment and improvements of their facade to entice more customers. The Suburban Shopfront Improvement Grant will cover 50 percent of the cost, or a maximum of $5,000, of the exterior improvements to the shopfront.

Interested applications may submit their application until Wednesday 23 Dec 2020. Approved grants will be notified in February 2021.

However, some shops and shop owners are excluded from this grant if they are:

part of a franchise
within a shopping centre complex
in a property owned or managed by the Council, the State or Federal Government
located in the CBD
employees or contractual staff of the Council

Applicants must be submitted online but interested parties are encouraged to read through the terms and conditions of the grant before filing. Parties may also call the Council’s Business Hotline on 133 BNE (133 263) for enquiries about these economic grants.

Boggo Road Gaol Urban Village: Residents Want Child-Friendly Green Space on Proposed Development

A development application for a proposed urban village/shopping center near the historic Boggo Road Gaol is drawing much dissent from Dutton Park residents. The planned $300 million urban village will apparently take up the green space currently used by pedestrians, families and cyclists.

Filed in 2019, the Boggo Road Gaol urban village will have 500 housing units and a shopping centre with a carpark (DA A005260979). The Department of Housing and Public Works and Leighton Holdings partnered for this project, which has the endorsement of the National Trust.

However, residents said that they want the green space especially once the planned Cross River Rail station is completed. With an expected 22,000 commuters a day, the locals said that the area between the Gaol and the Ecosciences building will be more rare and valuable to the community.

Brad Schultz, a resident of Wollonggaba, proposed a different plan to enhance the green space without turning the site into an urban village.

“[Here are]some information on the issue and an amazing concept for what the precinct COULD be like if we all advocate for it,” he shared on Facebook.

The locals urged its South Brisbane officials to keep Boggo Road Gaol car-free and push the Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni to “call-in” the development application.

“The area is currently ideal for travelling by foot and bicycle, connecting bikeways, homes and workplaces. Cutting through that active transport path with a new road open to cars and promoting parking motor vehicle goes against everything we know concerning sustainability,” an unnamed resident said in the public notice.

“The developer wants to convert the existing safe pedestrian way into a shopping centre car park. This space will be used by thousands of students commuting by train, bus, foot, bike and scooter to the new State Secondary College, Dutton Park Primary School and UQ. The car park will put our children’s safety at risk. It also reduces community green space and ignores the cultural sensitivities of Goal site. These outcomes are unacceptable,” nearby Woollongabba resident Jeremy Kirby said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing and Public Works, however, said that the development approval will still hinge on some stipulated requirements, including pedestrian access and bikes or footpaths over private cars.

Safety Upgrades on Ponsonby Street Intersection to Start Late 2020

A number of road safety upgrades on the intersections of Ponsonby Street, Ipswich Road and Junction Terrace will be undertaken in late 2020. The Council, with the help of the federal government, has set aside $1.9 million for this project as part of the Black Spot Program.

About 13 crashes have been reported in these intersections between July 2013 and May 2020, resulting in various victims’ hospitalisation and medical treatments. Traffic turning from Ponsonby Street or Junction Terrace was determined as the major cause of these accidents.

Council plans to improve traffic movements in these accident-prone spots by making much-needed changes. The safety upgrades will include these measures below, per the Brisbane City Council:

new traffic lights at the intersection with controlled pedestrian crossing facilities
converting the eastern end of Ponsonby Street to one-way access from Ipswich Road and Junction Terrace
installing a traffic island on Ponsonby Street
converting the existing left-hand southbound lane from left-turn lane only (buses excepted) to a left and through lane
extending the existing right-turn pockets on Ipswich Road into Ponsonby Street and Junction Terrace
removing the existing bus stop on the eastern side of Ipswich Road
removing 16 on-street car parks on Ipswich Road, Ponsonby Street and Junction Terrace
removing one street tree. Replanting will be offset in accordance with Council policies and relevant legislative requirements
road resurfacing, new kerb and channel and footpath connections, line marking, minor landscaping and turfing.

Work on these safety upgrades will begin by late 2020 and by early 2021. Residents will be informed of the exact date before the construction starts.

As a result of these changes, access to a part of Ponsonby Street will also be converted into a one-way street (westbound from Ipswich Road to the first driveway on Ponsonby Street – 385 Ipswich Road).

“Some of the safety improvements will include installing traffic signals at this intersection and converting the eastern end of Ponsonby Street to one-way access from Ipswich Road to Junction Terrace,” Infrastructure Chair David McLachlan announced.

“This infrastructure can significantly reduce the risk of accidents in the future and ensure everyone can get home safely to their loved ones.”

For questions and feedback about this plan, locals are encouraged to phone 1800 669 416 (during business hours) or 07 3403 8888 (outside business hours).

New ‘Arts Village’ to Rise at Old Paint Factory Site

Australia will soon have its very first fully integrated Arts Village in the Brisbane southside. Plans are being carried out to turn the old Taubmans factory in Hyde Road into a mixed-use residential and artist hive.

After years of discussing with the community, project manager Paul Hey said that they have come up with a better solution to develop the abandoned factory into The Paint Factory Art Village.

The proposal includes living spaces with art studios for the creatives, as well as an art gallery and event space, educational facilities, microbrewery and coffee roaster, gym and indoor rock-climbing space, artisan market with fresh produce pop-ups, florist and boutique nursery, and large well-manicured landscape and open spaces.

“Our vision is to revitalise the industrial factory buildings to create an integrated, mixed-use residential project with world-leading creative uses on the site in an open and industrial setting,” the project team stated on the official site.

“We will build on this opportunity to create a permanent address that features artists, art galleries, event space, artisans, microbrewers, market operators, coffee roasters, visual artists and other creative professionals, living and working on the site alongside stunning homes, artists-in-residences and large areas of open space.”

The arts village will take inspirations from Brisbane CBD’s The Powerhouse, the Abbotsford Convent in Victoria, the Alte-Spinnerei in Germany and the Wynwood Walls in Miami.

Several artists have been using the Taubamans factory as a workspace since it closed more than five years ago. It has become an informal space for experimentation, sharing of ideas and receiving feedback from each other.

But the 3.4 hectares of land is part of an industrial zone, open to buildings, businesses and factories with more roads and access. The developer originally applied for rezoning the site as a residential area with more green, livable spaces but fewer roads and buildings.

Neighbouring businesses apparently opposed to the rezoning, while other locals prefer a community plan that will also consider the future infrastructure of Yeronga.

On 20 July 2020, the developer withdrew the original application and said it will resubmit plans for the Arts Village.

“Our future, revised development application will be an evolution from the current proposal which responds to the feedback received, particularly from Brisbane’s vibrant arts community for more dedicated creative and gallery spaces. We expect to lodge a new development application in coming weeks, which will include a residential component, along with other complementary artistic uses to regenerate the former industrial site,” Wolter Consulting Group stated.

Abbey Whalley: Coles Picks Annerley Teen’s Fun Designs For Bags

Spotted Coles’ colourful reusable bags lately? If you’ve seen the chiller bags with bright fruits artwork, those were designed by 13-year-old Annerley artist Abbey Whalley.

Abbey is one of six students who won the Coles National Bag Design competition to raise awareness against single-use plastic bags. Her design will be printed nationally and sold to millions of customers for $2.50 for a limited time. A batch of her bag designs was sold out at Coles Greenslopes in a matter of days.

The budding artist said she picked fruits to draw because it also promotes health.

“I could use nice bright colours in the painting,” she added. “I am really excited to see the bags on sale. It’s nice to know that they will be on reusable bags so people can buy and reuse them over and over.”

St Joachim’s Primary School, where Abbey was a student, also received $5,000 because of her win.

“I am very happy that I was a winner as my school was very grateful for the money that they received. They will be able to do some really good things with it.”

Coles launched their bag competition in June 2018 and it has since been popular with shoppers for showcasing talented students around Australia.

What’s more, 10 percent of the proceeds from the bags help fund the Collingwood Football Club Community Foundation. The organization supports the homeless and the disadvantaged.

According to Coles State GM Jerry Farrell, this initiative is a win-win for all. The bag is useful to the customers, helps reduce plastic wastes, boosts the profile of emerging artists like Abbey Whalley and supports a community fundraiser.

Here’s Where You Can Get Heavenly Bombolinis in Annerley

A bombolini is a popular Italian cream-filled doughnut and this irresistible heavenly delight is laboriously prepared by hand at A Mano Cafe in Annerley.

Soft, fluffy and rich bombolinis are served only on weekends at the Cracknell Rd cafe and are often sold out before noontime.

What makes this sweet delight worth getting out of bed for is the quality. A Mano Cafe’s handcrafted fluffy balls of flavourful fried doughs are creamy, silky, light and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness. You’ll appreciate the passion and effort that go into preparing these exceptionally delicious sweet snacks with every bite.

A Mano Cafe turned four months old on July 2020, which means it opened just as businesses were closing due to the coronavirus lockdown. But this family-owned restaurant thrived despite the challenges in the food and hospitality industry and has been receiving heaps of support from the local community.

Aside from their sought-after bombolinis, this restaurant also serves fresh cannoli, tiramisu and vanilla slice daily. They have a range of dining options for your Italian cravings and the food goes perfectly well with a cup of Di Bella Coffee.

Trading is currently limited to takeaway and al fresco dining due to the COVID-19 restrictions. You may check the trading hours on their Facebook page.

“I have been coming back regularly for the lovely service and spectacular vanilla slice. However today changed all of that. I tried the lemon coconut slice and it’s now my new favourite! Sublime. Thank you.”
Jane Mary, Facebook

“OMG, just found you guys from facebook. coffee is divine, custard canoli, AMAZING, yet to try vanilla custard slice, holding back till morning tea. Superb, friendly service. 10 of 10. Thank you. Love A Mano Cafe.”
Stacie Delaney, Google Reviews