In response to the projected population growth in Brisbane, the city has revealed plans to construct residential towers in several suburbs, including Mt Gravatt, Carindale, Indooroopilly, Chermside, Toowong, and Toombul.
Read: Residents Fear Development Will Bring More Traffic To Klumpp Road
It comes following the recent announcement to raise the building height limit for the Kurilpa precinct, where the heights may reach up to 274 metres, surpassing that of the tallest building in the city, the Brisbane Skytower.
The aim is to accommodate an estimated increase from 1.26 million to 1.5 million residents by 2041. Under Brisbane City Council’s 2023 housing strategy, over 115,000 homes, units, or apartments will be built, focusing on higher density developments.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has emphasised the importance of building upward rather than outward, advocating for taller towers in established suburbs that already boast good public transport connections.
Cr Schrinner believes that 90 percent of future growth in Brisbane will come from “brownfield development,” converting underused commercial and industrial land into residential areas. Schrinner argues that setting higher height limits in exchange for sustainable development will yield benefits for the community.
However, the announcement has sparked mixed opinions among locals, as seen in a Reddit thread discussing the matter. One commenter expressed scepticism about the claim of good public transport connections in suburbs like Chermside and Carindale.
They questioned the suitability of these areas for high-density developments, suggesting that transport infrastructure might need improvement to support such projects effectively.
Another Reddit user offered an alternative perspective, suggesting that allowing smaller-scale developments such as duplexes, triplexes, or quadruplexes on existing lots would be a more attainable and inclusive approach.
“Big apartment buildings can only be built by major developers. But turning 1 house into 2? That’s a lot more achievable. Plus it spreads out the population growth to the whole city, which means the overall rate of change in any one area is minimised so it’s easier for people to adjust,” the Reddit user wrote.
Read: Construction Ongoing to Convert Vacant Student Rooms at Griffith University into a Housing Complex
Cr Schrinner pointed out that the proposal would permit a variety of building heights without necessarily contributing to traffic congestion in the area.
Ultimately, the success of Brisbane’s housing strategy in response to the population growth in Brisbane will depend on effective implementation and ongoing evaluation of its impact on the city and its residents.
Published 7-June-2023
