Save Milton

Residents of the Brisbane suburb of Milton have overwhelmingly rejected a developer's plans to erect a 31 story residential and commercial development atop. A phenomenal 700 submissions have been made by the local community in 3 days against the plans. Instead of respecting community wishes of the community, Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe has, instead, declared the project to be of state interest and "called-in" the development process in order to allow the project to bypass the normal legal avenues available to the community to lodge objections to the development.

Both Stirlng Hinchliffe and Andrew Fraser the local state member of Parliament have declined invitations to attend the meeting.

What you can do: Please show your support for the embattled residents of Milton by attending the meeting at 6.30PM, next Thursday at the Milton State School, Vote against the use of call-in powers on Westside News's online poll. More information: Ph 0404 833057, 0408 101117, enquiries[AT]cramed.org, cramed.org.

We reproduce below the media Release from CRAMED. Please also find PDF from which it has been adapted attached.

#SeeAlso" id="SeeAlso">See also: Mitchelton residents resist imposition of congestion nightmare of 16 Apr 10, Have your say: Tussle over Milton tower project in the Westside News of 14 Apr 10, Plans for property hubs near train stations have gone off the rails in the Courier-Mail of 8 Apr 10, Residents slam 'sledgehammer' approach to planning in the Brisbane Times of 8 Apr 10, Govt 'calls in' Milton high-rise in the Brisbane Times of 16 Apr 10, Milton tower development called-in in Quest News of 16 Apr 10

Concerned Residents Against Milton's Excessive Development

Final Public Meeting

Before submissions due on Milton Tennis Court and Milton Station
Neighbourhood Plan

When: 6.30PM, Thursday 22 April
Where: Milton State School

A depiction of the 31 storey monstrosity that is to
be erected on top of Milton Station opposite the
Fourex (XXXX) brewery.

A LARGE public attendance is important to demonstrate the strong community opposition to the proposed developments. Bring your neighbours. Bring your family and friends -- wherever they live in SEQ, the same town planning issues we face will eventually impact them and their lifestyle. STOP THIS CRAZINESS!! SIGN SUBMISSIONS!!

Local State MP Andrew Fraser and State Planning and Infrastructure Minister Stirling Hinchliffe have again declined invitations to attend, but local media outlets are expected. Join us in giving a clear message to our elected representatives that enough is enough!!!

Local Councillor Peter Matic will attend and Council town planners have been invited so you will have an opportunity to question them.

The meeting will update you on the Milton Tennis Court Development Application and Milton Station Neighbourhood Plan, as well as developments on the proposed 31 storey development in Railway Terrace, Milton.

Local member Andrew
Fraser who refuses to
hear his constituents'
concerns at public
meeting.

Qld Minister for Infra-
structure and Planning
Stirling Hinchliffe

Submissions on the Milton Tennis Court DA and the Milton Station Neighbourhood Plan are due before the end of April. Please bring your signed submissions to the meeting. Pro-forma submissions will be available at the meeting if you wish to sign them then.

We are seeking volunteers to door knock with the pro-forma submissions. We have had an excellent response to previous door knocking efforts. Please email [email protected] if you can help.

See over for key facts about the proposed developments and what you can do to help.

CRAMED

Get involved for a better Brisbane

FACT SHEET

Milton Tennis Court

• Zoned Sport and Recreation in Brisbane City Plan

• Development application to break block in to 9 blocks, with up to 20 storey buildings, allocated green space is largely flood plain, tidal creek or Council land

• 660 units, 120 room motel, 34000 square metres commercial/retail

• Road access via Milton Road and Haig Road (opposite school)

• 2006 approval for 174 units, 8 storeys expires in September

• Local area has lost many community facilities and has inadequate green space for the existing population. Proposed increases in population mean we need more green space & community facilities

Milton
Station Neighbourhood Plan

• City Plan for this area includes 3 to 10 storey height limit

• Council seeking to increase to up to 30 storeys

• De-facto expansion of CBD

• Developers will use as a precedent for other sites (Milton Tennis Court, St Francis College, Fourex Brewery and then...)

• Council survey in 2009 showed 76% of community opposed proposed heights but Council pushing ahead

Proposed 31 storey development in Railway Terrace

• Approved by Council despite breaching City Plan (February). Approval references the State Government's SEQ Regional Plan

• Does not qualify as a transport oriented development despite public comments that it is a TOD

• Appealed by CRAMED to Planning and Environment Court (March)

• Council and developer approach State Government to declare the project of "State Interest" and use executive powers to approve the development and remove community's right to appeal

• Minister Stirling Hinchliffe to make his decision by Friday 16^th April

• 700 community submissions to Minister during Easter holidays

Submissions

• Submissions to Council are due by 29^th April (Milton Tennis Court DA) and 30^th April (Milton Station Neighbourhood Plan)

• CRAMED would like submissions returned by 23^rd April so we can copy the submissions to the State Government and hand deliver them to Council before the due dates (note Anzac Day 25^th April)

• Visit www.cramed.org for pro-forma submissions or write your own

• If you are able to door knock your local streets, we can deliver multiple copies of the submissions to you. Call Elizabeth (0404 833 057) or Paul (0408 101 117) or Bronwyn (3369 0785) to get copies delivered to you

• Opportunity to sign or return signed submissions at public meeting at 6.30pm, Thursday 22^nd April at Milton State School

• If you send your submission directly to Council, please copy Andrew Fraser, Stirling Hinchliffe and CRAMED

Developers have, in their sights, a tract of open space in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, formerly occupied by the Milton Tenis courts on which they #10;">plan to erect high rise appartments that will house at least an additional 2,000 extra people. The total combined number or residents and workers that would be jammed into the suburb of Milton, from this and an existing proposal for residential and commercial development above Milton Station, could be 12,000, that is as many as live in the rural town of Warwick.

Even the Brisbane City Council, well-practised at trampling upon the rights of Brisbane residents to impose infrastructure or residential developments, is objecting to the size of the development. The Westside News of 3 February reported that in 2006 a court approved the application of a residential development with a maximum of eight storeys. Of the current development propsal, Toowong ward Councillor Peter Matic said of the 20 storey development proposal, "I think it's horrendous. When you look at the plans the developer is affecting the flow of traffic on Milton Rd, there's flooding issues and there has been no consultation with local residents".

Of course, the dictatorial planning powers of State Government makes it legally difficult for the Brisbane City Council to block the plan in accord with the residents. Nevertheless, if the BCC had the will to oppose the development it should be capable of showing the leadership necessary to stop it, with local residents so overwhelmingly opposed.

A leaflet publicising the meeting by the group Concerned Residents Against Milton's Excessive Development (CRAMED) listed that group's objections to the proposal:

• This is a huge increase in density for this site. Once this change in zoning goes through there is no way the Council can change it to a lesser density without VAST expense to the ratepayers because of land owners compensation for loss of land value claims.

• Where is the infrastructure for this extra population and where are they going to build it. The water, sewerage, power not to mention telephone infrastructure in this area needs to be updated to cope with the number of people here now, never mind 2,000 more.

• These buildings will be totally out of scale with the surrounding houses and will overshadow just about every building in the vicinity. They will interfere with the prevailing breezes. They will also interrupt many local city views that you have paid thousands of dollars for.

• Traffic which is already an issue in this area will become much worse as will parking. The main exit and entry for the residential component of this development will be onto Haig Road. This will make an already dangerous crossing to the Milton State School even more so.

• It is still zoned for sport and recreation. As we all know Gregory Park is a much loved but over used green space. Both Paddington and Auchenflower have insufficient green and recreational space available to their present population.

• This area is a known flood plain and is clearly marked as such on Council maps. Planners that approve buildings on those sites should be personally liable. Why should ratepayers be paying compensation when those sites are affected by future flooding. To confirm this check the BCC web site at the following URL www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/bccwr/_assets/main/lib927/flooding_milton_flood_flag _map.pdf

• Parts of this site is in a Demolition Control Precinct which appears to mean very little in this case. The majority of these buildings are not sustainable buildings as they are too tall to rely on anything other than air-conditioning.

Since the first meeting, the developer has publicly advertising of the Milton Tennis Court site has commenced much earlier than CRAMED had originally been led to believe thy would now giving them until only 29 April to state their objections to the Tennis Court. Also another development in Milton, that is, for a residential apartments above above Milton Station is to be extended to include a commercial precinct. A further leaflet from CRAMED comments:

What you can do: (1) Attend meeting of CRAMED to oppose these developments at the Milton State School at 6.30PM on Monday 29 March. (2) Attend the protest to save the Koala and to stop overdevelopment at the Queensland Government Growth Summit 11.00AM Tuesday 30 March at the main entrance of Queensland State Library, Southbank.
E-mail: enquiries[AT]cramed.org or phone: 0404 833 057 to become involved in CRAMED.

See also: cramed.org, "The Battle to Save our Suburb" of 15 Mar 10 on wtsag.org.au the web site of the Walter Taylor South Action Group, Transcript of SBS Insight program "Housing 36 Million" of Tue 2 March, featuring CRAMED convenor, Elizabeth Handley.