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.”
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.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
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
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.
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.
Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council
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.
Photo Credit: Brad Schultz/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.
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.
Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council
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).
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.
Photo Credit: The Paint Factory YerongaPhoto Credit: The Paint Factory Yeronga
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.
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.”
“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.
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.
Photo Credit: A Mano Cafe/FacebookPhoto Credit: A Mano Cafe/Facebook
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.”
July marks the return of the #PlasticFree challenge and if you’d like to be part of the solution to reduce plastic waste then make a quick trip to ReThink, the green store in Yeronga.
ReThink has a good selection of plastic-free, often used and consumable household items to stock up on, such as shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, hand wash, body lotion, laundry and dishwashing liquids, cleansing pads, toilet paper and even dog shampoo. If you want to lessen your use of plastic, then this store can help you make small but significant changes.
Products sold at ReThink are locally sourced and either unpacked for zero waste, or contained in reusable glass, which you can return to the store for recycling. The staff also provide valuable information and education for consumers who want to manage their waste more sustainably and better for the environment.
When you patronise ReThink, you’re not just helping local businesses thrive but you’re also supporting its workers. The store employs people with disabilities who make their place of work their social hub as well.
Founded by Dr Megan Ashcroft as a not-for-profit, volunteer-led social venture, ReThink opened in April 2019 and functions in collaboration with Community Plus Queensland.
Check their Facebook page for the store hours. ReThink also has an online store, so you can shop with ease from your home.
Brodie Ellis is a man with renewed hope and vigor, now regrowing his own skull because of a novel, innovative surgical procedure involving 3D printing and bio-absorbable implants at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba.
When Brodie Ellis was in Vietnam in 2018, he fell off a motorcycle in an accident that resulted in an amputated left leg and significant damage to his head which left him with gaps where damaged skull bone had been removed.
In 2019, to replace the missing portions of his skull, doctors placed synthetic implants on both sides of Brodie’s head.
Unfortunately, a dangerous staphylococcus infection on one side of his head necessitated removal of his plastic implants to avoid life-threatening complications and sepsis.
Luckily for Mr Ellis, doctors at Princess Alexandra Hospital led by Dr Michael Wagels, deputy director of plastic and reconstructive surgery, had been experimenting with a new type of 3D-printed implant made of a material that acts as a scaffold for bone regeneration, then dissolves away as the bone grows into it.
Dr Michael Wagels and Brodie’s skull implants. Photo Credit: https://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/
“The special thing about Brodie’s implant is that it is completely absorbable, so it will disappear as the new bone forms within and around it,” Dr Wagels explained.
Coordinations were made for the design and manufacturing the implant, involving the doctors at Princess Alexandra Hospital, the Australian Centre for Complex Integrated Surgical Solutions, the Translational Research Institute, and Singapore-based manufacturing company, Osteopore.
After an 11-hour surgery involving a full complement of plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anaesthetists, neurosurgeons, nurses, assistant surgeons, and technicians, Brodie had a newly reconstructed skull.
Two months after the surgery, Mr Ellis has not experienced any complications and CT scans already show signs of new bone growth.
“The latest CT scan taken eight weeks after the operation shows bone forming both on the outside and in the inside of the implant, indicating the body has recognised the implant as broken bone that needs to be healed,” Dr Wagels said.
Though faced with continued medical monitoring and rehabilitation, Mr Ellis is thankful for what has been a new lease on life, thanks to the wonders of 3D printing and his doctors at Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Helping Someone Get a Leg Up
In a 2017 case, Dr Wagels had also performed what was then a world-first procedure when he replaced a missing tibia on a man’s leg with a 3D-printed replacement bone.
The groundbreaking surgery saved Reuben Lichter’s leg from certain amputation.
Dr Michael Wagels (leftmost), with Reuben Lichter (in crtuches) and team. Photo Credit : Additive Biomanufacturing
Seeing the chance to improve Mr Lichter’s quality of life, a team of orthopaedic and plastic surgeons spent 14 hours reconstructing his tibia, removing bone tissue from his other leg with the blood supply intact so that they can transform the 3D-printed implant into living bone.
Since the surgery, Mr Lichter has regrown the missing segment of his tibia and with the help of implant and reconstructive surgery, can walk successfully on his own two feet.
Putting Her Finger On the Problem
On the other side of the Brisbane River, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has had its own successes in biofabrication using 3D printing technology as well.
Photo Credit: QUT
Naomi Paxton, a PhD student at QUT, has focused her attention on regrowing damaged bone, with an aim to address bone tissue defects without having to use permanent implants.
“Using biofabrication, we could theoretically replace the cartilage in a knee, for example, which is unusually what is the cause of a knee replacement,”
Ms Paxton sees great potential for biofabrication, as a solution for replacing damaged bone that has been removed due to trauma, infection, or cancer.
Research has extended to the use of the 3D-printed scaffolds in animal subjects and in a limited number of human patients. Citing regulation as the major hurdle, Ms Pacton said bespoke implants for individual patients do not follow the usual regulation pathway, and these personalised medical devices must conform to safety regulations.
“One of the major focuses of our research is to find low-cost solutions for designing these implants using existing approved medical materials,” Ms Paxton, who was a finalist at the 2019 AMP Ignite Event for this research, said.
Concerns have been raised on safety and access issues surrounding plans for a new, signalised intersection on Gladstone Rd and TJ Doyle Memorial Drive next to the new Dutton Park State High School.
“It’s great that we’re finally getting some lights here, but the design leaves a lot to be desired.” Cr Jonathan Sri posted on Facebook recently.
“Normally, intersections on council-controlled roads like this one would go through a proper public consultation process and I would have a fair bit of input as the local councillor,” Cr Sri added.
He explains, however, that the planned changes for the intersection are being delivered as part of a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) for the new high school. The MID means that Council will have no direct control or influence over the design at all.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Concerns raised over the design include the lack of a direct pedestrian crossing over Gladstone Rd on the northwest side of the intersection. To a local resident walking from Lochaber St, this means crossing four different sets of lights before reaching the Dutton Park picnic area or to the “Harmony Gardens” playground. Both areas are popular community hubs that should be easily accessible to residents.
Cycling groups and concerned parents are also lobbying for barrier-separated bike lanes in the area, particularly since Gladstone Rd is a major cycling corridor. In recent months, Council and various schools have encouraged school students to cycle to and from school. For the new high school, barrier-separated lanes in lieu of painted bike lanes are perceived to be safer.
Also, under the new design, cyclists heading north on Gladstone Rd will encounter an indented bus stop, which will have buses pulling back and forth across the path of cyclists. Locals are suggesting the installation of floating bus stops instead, similar to those installed by Council along Annerley Rd near Gloucester St.
The planned installation of slip lanes from Gladstone Rd into TJ Doyle Memorial Drive, and for southbound traffic turning from Gladstone Rd into the new street next to the school.
Construction of both slip lanes will mean cars turning into the path of cyclists and pedestrians which include school students. Environmental impacts have also been raised as this will also involve cutting down trees along the edge of Dutton Park.
“I’m very disappointed that the State Government is proceeding with such a poorly designed intersection adjacent to a new high school. We should be supporting active transport to and from the school, with safe, separated bike lanes and a road layout that minimises the number of roads (that) pedestrians have to cross. Instead, the government has done the opposite, and designed an intersection that’s all about cars,” Cr Sri said.
