Goal 3 : To positively influence the built environment of Auchenflower.

3.1 Identify aspects of the Auchenflower built environment that warrant preservation or development.

3.2 Monitor issues which may impact on the Auchenflower built environment.

3.3 Inform Auchenflower residents of relevant built environment issues when they arise.

3.4 Make representations/submissions on relevant built environment issues to the appropriate authorities when required.

Further information

Page down for further information on:

• Current Auchenflower Development Applications
• Ithaca District Local Plan
• South East Queensland Regional Plan
• Neighbourhood planning
  

Have you ever noticed one of those development application signs and wondered what was going to be built?

Members can check out a Development Application (DA) themselves, options include either:

1. Visit the BCC Customer Service Centre at Brisbane Administration Centre (Level 1, 69 Ann St, Brisbane) and ask to see the Scrutiny File for the DA involved - you need to state the address of the property involved , or the DA number from the public notice on the site, or

2. Visit Councillor Magub's office at 50 High St Toowong and ask to see her file on the DA, or

3. Go online if you have internet access and check it out from home!

Online instructions: Go to the Brisbane City Council web site(www.brisbane.qld.gov.au), click 'do business' , click on 'Building & Development', then click on 'development application search', then click on 'online', the 'view a development application online', or you can go straight to the page by clicking this link.

Key in the application number, or the street address, to see the results of the search.

This is a FREE service. The complete application including plans and reports submitted by the applicant is available for review.

In December 2004, the ARA Inc. lodged a submission to Council commenting on the draft Ithaca District Local Plan, which was in a public consultation phase. It had been previously released for comment in 1999, and has been in abeyance since .

The 2004 draft was very similar to the 1999 draft, but there were some issues we drew to Council's attention:

• no mention of the previous aim of increasing the amount of public parkland in Ithaca (and in Auchenflower)
• an increase in high density residential area to the western side of Dunmore Terrace is proposed. This was previously proposed to be increased only to medium density residential area.
• local shopping centre at Torwood not included as a Centres precinct.
• only 18 significant landscape trees in Auchenflower are included in the tree register in City Plan
• no action foreshadowed to revitalise the Shopping Strip at Milton Rd 9 we recommended it be included in the Suburban Centres Improvement Programme ( SCIP).
• Huxham St- Challinor St hillside reclassified from Low-Medium Density to Character Residential Area but excludes Hobbs St.

We have not yet received any response from Council to this submission.

A submission was made to the Office of Urban Management in February 2005 regarding the draft South East Queensland Regional Plan.

Issues are evident which will impact on the western suburbs of Brisbane, and ultimately on the residents of Auchenflower, including:

• increased traffic volumes in Milton Road and Frederick St if planned population growth in the region is directed west towards Ipswich
• increases in density of residential suburbs surrounding the city centre
• infrastructure developments such as western bypass highways, tunnels and cross river bridges

Our local member Andrew Fraser MP has undertaken to keep us informed of any future State Government decisions affecting Auchenflower.

Neighbourhood planning is the new buzz word in BCC circles- Campbell Newman Lord Mayor has run a series of fora to ask Brisbane residents "What sort of Brisbane do you want?" to decide how and where the city will grow, as an extra 1.2 million people are projected to be living in SouthEast Queensland by the year 2020.

Members of our Built Environment sub-committee attended a forum on 8 March 2005.

Neighbourhood workshops to get community were held during March to May 2005, followed by 5 Neighbourhood Fairs to reach out to the quadrants of the city in June and July 2005, (see comment in ARA Winter Newsletter) culminating in a city Shape conference in late August 2005.

ARA inc will continue to be involved.