Council puts forward a bold plan for Wynnum Central
Last week Brisbane City Council released its Draft Suburban Renewal Plan for Wynnum
THE BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL CONSULTATION PERIOD ON THE DRAFT PLAN HAS NOW CLOSED
Brisbane City Council is asking for feedback on its draft plan for Wynnum (and for Wynnum Central)
This is probably the most ambitious plan from Brisbane City Council for Wynnum …ever… and largely addresses a number of potential improvements to the Wynnum Central area that have been suggested over the years by residents and business owners alike.
Although it is understandable that some locals residents don’t want Wynnum to become ‘the next Gold Coast’, the draft plan is not green lighting huge skyscrapers, rather it is putting in place a measured increase in building heights in specific parts of Wynnum Central, as well as a number of other changes.
This is a draft plan only and council is inviting everyone to have their say on the plan over a short consulting period until Sunday 9th November (see below for details).
The other thing to bear in mind is that these proposed changes are changes to the planning environment, and so would need to be taken up by developers for this vision to come to fruition. Even though it can be argued that taller buildings are more attractive to potential developers, any developments taking advantage of these new planning rules would need to make commercial sense.
Looking at the last time that building heights in Wynnum Central changed (2014 city plan), it took a while for taller buildings to start to appear and even then not all zones for taller buildings in that plan have been ‘maxxed out’.
Council has set out what it is hoping to achieve in Wynnum in a 69 page ‘Draft Wynnum Centre Suburban Renewal Precinct Plan’ which you can download here, but for a quick overall summary the shorter (10 page) summary document is a good overview of why it is proposed and what the plan aims to achieve (download here).
Aims of the draft plan
The aims of the plan are to…
- Create housing choice – to meet the 210,800 new homes needed in Brisbane to support projected population growth up to 2046
- Create a ‘vibrant village’ – to become a hub for businesses and retailers as well as being a hub for culture and entertainment, while maintaining a ‘bayside village character’
- Support a subtropical lifestyle – involving sustainable and climate appropriate design and ‘lush landscaping and shade’
- Connect people and places – more street trees, wider footpaths, encouraging the development of arcades and improving the connection between the Wynnum Central railway station and the foreshore
There is also a brief mention of aiming to ‘adjust car parking requirements’ and ‘investigate traffic circulation to support smooth traffic flow’ (see our previous article on this here)
If approved, the plan will result in changes to the current Brisbane City Plan which would include…
- Zoning and building height changes to support more residential and commercial buildings
- Design provisions to help revitalise shopping, dining and entertainment areas, and support new arcades and walkways
- Design provisions to ensure development contributes to the local identity and our subtropical climate
- Car parking provisions to reflect the area’s high level of transport accessibility
Our take
Even though there will undoubtedly be some pushback against the increase in building heights, these increases are from the present 8 storey limit to 15 storey, and only in the central area around the train station outside of which maximum height limits decrease. Any increase in height limits will also drive (new) residents in new buildings to the local retail and entertainment precinct and so encourage the vibrancy and growth of these.
What is also very promising in our view is that the plan allows for the ‘laneways’ – currently used mainly as car parks – to be developed into ‘active frontage’ ie pedestrian arcades linking the main streets – something that has had popular support for a long time.
Public Consultation
The draft plan is open for public consultation until Sunday 9th November (11.59pm) and you can provide your feedback in the following ways…
- Via email to ne********************@**************ov.au
- Via City Plan Online – https://cityplan.brisbane.qld.gov.au/eplan/submissions/consultations/0/0
- Via mail to
Neighbourhood Planning (Wynnum Centre Precinct Plan)
Brisbane City Council
GPO Box 1434
Brisbane Qld 400
There will also be ‘Talk to a Planner’ sessions in Wynnum on the following dates…
Wednesday 22 October (2-4pm and 5-7pm) book in here (2-4pm session) or here (5-7pm session)
Saturday 25 October (9.30-11.30am) book in here
