Ministerial Statement: Government cancels North Bank development

[ozbob]

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Paul Lucas
19/10/2008

Government cancels North Bank development

The Premier has listened to the people of South East Queensland and announced the North Bank development will be cancelled.

Ms Bligh said the public has sent a clear message, with submissions following the recent Enquiry by Design (EBD) process showing that 93 per cent of people do not support the proposed North Bank development in its current form.

"The public have spoken and said overwhelmingly they do not want to see development in the Brisbane river," said Ms Bligh

"It is my job and the responsibility of government to listen to the will of the people.

"80% of people have previously said they wanted something done and that's why we went to the Enquiry by Design, but clearly Brisbane does not want this development.

"We are still committed to improving this area within the difficult engineering constraints imposed on us by the Riverside Expressway, a legacy of the Bjelke-Petersen era.

"A safety audit will now be undertaken to look at upgrades to the make the area better for walkers and cyclists.

"This part of Brisbane will still become somewhere the people of this city can enjoy safely.

"I've spoken to the local Member of Parliament Grace Grace and she strongly supports this decision as the right one for her local community."

2275 submissions were received from the general public and other stakeholders, with 93% against the proposed North Bank development.

The main concerns raised were development in the river, the impact of buildings on views and the heritage precinct.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas said he was impressed by the large number of personally written submissions, instead of form letters.

"People clearly have a strong view on North Bank and I'm not afraid to say we listened," said Mr Lucas.

"This is a once in a lifetime project and we're better off waiting until the longer term, when the possibility of taking the Riverside Expressway underground could present the opportunity for a North Bank that would truly give the river back to the people.

"In the meantime this decision will address safety issues and preserve our options."

On 29 April 2008, the Premier announced that the current process for the North Bank project would be suspended and an Enquiry By Design would be undertaken to seek alternative designs for the project.

On 27 August 2008 the full report on the findings were released for public comment for a period of four weeks.

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[ozbob]

From the Sunday Mail click here!

North Bank project to be axed forever, says Anna Bligh

North Bank project to be axed forever, says Anna Bligh
Article from: The Sunday Mail (Qld)


By Darrell Giles

October 19, 2008 12:00am

THE State Government has scrapped the controversial $1.7 billion North Bank development on the Brisbane River and all other plans for the site.

Instead of high-rise buildings and platforms extending out into the river, the area will only be given a minor upgrade to make it safer for walkers, runners and cyclists.

Premier Anna Bligh said she had "listened to the people" rather than experts who had said North Bank could generate $2 billion in benefits for the Queensland economy and thousands of jobs.

The Government had already spent $5.2 million on planning the riverside development after previous assurances taxpayers would not pay a cent.

Government sources denied the shock cancellation had anything to do with the current credit crisis and hints last week by Treasurer Andrew Fraser that the Government could cut back on its huge infrastructure building program if the global financial woes continued to deepen.

But the axing of the development came as Ms Bligh and Labor nose-dived in statewide polls and followed her scrapping last month of the widely criticised $14 billion shale oil mining project in the Whitsundays.

The Premier told The Sunday Mail yesterday the Government had received 2275 submissions from the public and stakeholders on North Bank, with 93 per cent against the development.

"The public have spoken and said overwhelmingly they do not want to see development in the Brisbane River," Ms Bligh said. "It is my job and the responsibility of government to listen to the will of the people."

The Beattie-Bligh Government had spent six years debating what to do with the eyesore of the Riverside Expressway after announcing plans to develop the area in October 2002.

Cabinet last year gave the green light to private property developer Brookfield Multiplex for its plan to build a 70m extension into the river, with seven skyscrapers and a public swimming pool.

But that plan was "massively scaled back" in June after a three-day Enquiry by Design workshop, including 70 professionals and community stakeholders, looked at new schemes.

The new proposals featured bike paths, boardwalks, parks, a smaller platform jutting 50m into the river and four commercial officer towers up to 30 storeys high.

The workshop team also claimed to have solved the flood risk that was behind the scrapping of the original $1.7 billion plan.

Public comment was sought and that closed in late September with the critics lining up to sink the boot into the development. Ms Bligh said the message was clear from the submissions, including a petition with about 3000 signatures.

"We are still committed to improving this area within the difficult engineering constraints imposed on us by the Riverside Expressway, a legacy of the Bjelke-Petersen era. A safety audit will now be undertaken to look at upgrades to make the area better for walkers and cyclists."

Ms Bligh said the main concerns raised were development in the river and the impact of buildings on views and the heritage precinct.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas said the Government could still develop North Bank, but probably not in the next decade.

"People clearly have a strong view on North Bank and I'm not afraid to say we listened," Mr Lucas said yesterday. "This is a once in a lifetime project and we're better off waiting until the longer term, when the possibility of taking the Riverside Expressway underground could present the opportunity for a North Bank that would truly give the river back to the people."

North Bank had become a polarising issue in the southeast of the state.

The Property Council supported the Multiplex development, with Queensland executive director Steve Greenwood saying it represented an "important opportunity for Brisbane to rediscover a long-neglected stretch of its riverfront and to celebrate the place of European settlement".

"Congregating and promoting the river-based tourism of Brisbane at a single location adjacent to some of the city's earliest buildings . . . is also an exciting and overdue development for an important and long-neglected area," he said.

Leading Brisbane architect Ian Charlton said the design of North Bank should be opened up to a public competition after claiming the process of the Government's Enquiry by Design was flawed.

"I think there was a bit of trickery in that and I reckon the Government has to face up to the fact they they are going to have to spend some money (on the project)," Mr Charlton said.

Brookfield Multiplex was under the impression last week that the Government would proceed with a scaled-back project.

Sources said the developers had alternative plans, which included no intrusion into the river and only one high-rise building.

They said a land-based scheme could be delivered at no cost to taxpayers and would include shops, a cycle hub, tourist boat docking and ticketing facilities and a large public "Birthplace of Brisbane" plaza and park.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

North Bank proposal scrapped

North Bank proposal scrapped
Marissa Calligeros | October 19, 2008 - 9:40AM

The State Government has scrapped the controversial North Bank development in favour of a "tidy up" of Brisbane's riverfront.

Premier Anna Bligh revealed government's decision yesterday, and Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister Paul Lucas this morning fielded further questions from the media.

Instead of high-rise buildings and platforms housing a retail precinct extending out into the river, the area will only be given a minor upgrade to make it safer for walkers, runners and cyclists, Mr Lucas said.

The decision to scrap the contentious development came after six years of deliberation and planning, which cost nearly $5.5 million, despite previous assurances taxpayer's dollars would be spared.

Mr Lucas recited the Premier's claim that the government had "listened to the people" rather than experts who had said North Bank could generate $2 billion in benefits for the Queensland economy.

''People clearly have a strong view on North Bank and I'm not afraid to say we listened," Mr Lucas said.

Although 80 per cent of people previously said they wanted something done about the Riverside Expressway, Mr Lucas said 93 per cent of 2275 submissions made during an Enquiry by Design (EBD) opposed the North Bank development in its current form.

He denied the axing of the development was related to the current credit crisis. But the shock cancellation followed the scrapping last month of the contentious $14 billion shale oil mining project in the Whitsundays.

Mr Lucas said the submissions made during the EBD process cited adverse environmental impact on the river and the impact of buildings on views and the heritage precinct.

The development of the northern riverfront was a once in a lifetime project the government was better off postponing he said.

"The possibility of taking the Riverside Expressway underground could present the opportunity for a North Bank that would truly give the river back to the people," Mr Lucas said.

Mr Lucas said the current "eyesore", a legacy of the Bjelke-Peterson era could remain for the next three decades.

The development was suspended in April this year when the Premier announced the EBD.

On August 27 a full report on the findings were released for public comment for a period of four weeks.
Source: The Sun-Herald

[mufreight]

Eyesore, well if the current views of the city reach of the river are an eyesore then Mr Lucas should take the dollar signs off his vision and take an honest look at the eyesore that had been proposed and he should as it would appear the Premier has done in this case consider the views and needs of the people who elected him to act in their interest rather than to try to dictate to them on what they will get or should do.  There is an election comming.

[ozbob]

Early election?

[O_128]

once agian the old people have complained and made us look at that expessway for anohter 50 years.you cant see the heritage buildings as it is now.just another reason ehy im moving to sysdeny next year

[mufreight]

To Mario, most of the submissions regarding objections to the proposed development of north bank came from those with environmental concerns and were it would seem in the younger demographic age group,
the objections from oldies as you term them expressed concerns about the effects that construction into the river would have in terms of future flooding which would be greatly excabated  by such construction which would restrict the flood flow.
From a personal view point does everything have to be sacrificed for the almighty dollar, the greatest attraction of most to this city is the control that has been exercised over the years over ill advised and ill concieved projects such as this proposal, fortunately there is an election looming and the majority opion has been respected.

[ozbob]

I was in Brisbane for the 1974 floods.

Some pictures can be found --> here!

It would have been folly to build out into the river IMHO.

[Otto]

link returns "There are no Results" for me..

[ozbob]

Try it now Otto. The original database link expired.

Cheers
Bob

[Otto]

It's good now, Thanks ozbob