Berkman says new Toowong Central development plans don’t contribute to community needs
A Brisbane MP has highlighted revised development plans for four mixed-use towers to loom over Toowong, claiming the plans will create a hot and expensive concrete jungle at a time when the community needs more green space and affordable housing.
The council received more than 500 submissions from the public about Toowong Central’s original plans, which included 58, 55 and 49-storey towers and a “Central Plaza” for retail tenants and pop-up markets.
The new plans instead feature four towers; Two will be 37 storeys high, while the others will be 39 and 37 storeys high and include a build-to-rent component, a retirement village, student accommodation and other short-term accommodation.
The site next to the Toowong Village shopping center was a Woolworths until 2017, but has since become a barren dust bowl in the heart of Brisbane’s inner west suburb.
Maiwar Greens MP Michael Berkman said the new plans did not meet the needs of the community.
“The area they are proposing as open space is only half of what the neighborhood plan calls for,” Berkman said.
With the addition of new towers, public space in the new plans has dropped from 40 per cent to around 30 per cent, and images show what was once seen as lawn is now sandstone-coloured concrete.
Berkman also noted the lack of deep planting (planting trees directly into the ground) in the new plans, which falls to as little as 6 percent of the area.
“This is something that should be at least 10 per cent below the council’s general benchmark,” he said.
The site’s developer, Verso Projects, claimed its updated plans would offer affordable housing, but Berkman said the community deserves mandatory affordable housing in construction if the towers are over 25 stories.
“Massive, unaffordable towers will not solve the housing crisis, especially when there are huge spaces available for student accommodation and potentially large numbers of short-term stays,” he said.
Local LNP councilor Penny Wolff disagrees.
In a statement after plans went live at the council’s development site on Tuesday, Wolff praised the development and said Verso could start as early as next year.
“This revised proposal reflects the role of council and community feedback in shaping better outcomes for Toowong, balancing more homes with improved public spaces, transport links, local services and a stronger region for the future,” he said.
Berkman said it was unclear whether the council would hold further consultation to see if the community approved the new plans, and this imprint asked the council.
Verso Projects has been contacted for comment.
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