Council to approve Valley population boom today
Fortitude Valley could not support the influx of new residents that a new plan for the suburb proposes for 20 years' time, local councilor David Hinchliffe says.
The draft Fortitude Valley Neighbourhood Plan is expected to get Brisbane City Council approval this afternoon after changes adopted through the community consultation phase were included.
However while the LNP saw the draft plan as an opportunity to blend the suburb with the CBD, local Labor councilor David Hinchliffe said the 'character' of the old Valley could be lost.
"The Valley has heart and soul and character and we have to make sure that we don't forget that," he said.
The new plan included heritage protection for the Empire Hotel at the top of the Brunswick Street Mall and All Hallows' School near the Story Bridge, among the 20 extra heritage buildings to be protected.
Cr Hinchliffe said the Valley could not support the extra 22,000 residents proposed by 2031 under the plan, despite Labor councilors voting for higher densities for the suburb in May 2008.
"That would make it bigger than the current CBD which has around 10,000 residents and around 75,000 workers," Cr Hinchliffe said.
"Currently the Valley has about 5000 residents and around 10,000 workers, so if you added another 22,000 residents and another 75,000 workers it would be bigger than the CBD is today."
Neighbourhood Planning committee chair Amanda Cooper told council in March last year that Fortitude Valley would be able to support the 22,000 new residents by 2031.
"It will see increased heights and densities really relating to its strong relationship with the CBD," she said.
"So it's an opportunity for some expansion-type opportunities for the CBD and also of course the great opportunities to see transit-orientated development.
"So we will see provision for 22,000 new residents and 75,000 new jobs in that area. So that's a wonderful opportunity."
But Cr Hinchliffe said those population figures were "not justifiable".
"But even if they were, this plan does not provide the commitment to infrastructure to sustain a viable community of those proportions," he said.
The draft plan divided Fortitude Valley into six precincts and included wider streets and extensive tree planting down main street corridors.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has already flagged a review of the Brunswick Street Mall.
Cr Cooper said last night the council wanted to create a "outdoor subtropical boulevard, perfect for Melbourne-styled cafes and dining".
"This plan is all about recognising that Brisbane must grow upwards to allow for the huge population influx in future years," she said.
"I thank the local councilor David Hinchliffe for voting for higher density in this area as well as in South Brisbane and Woolloongabba."
Cr Hinchliffe said there were aspects of the plan he supported, including the improved heritage coverage that would see 108 properties protected in Fortitude Valley.
Council last month adopted a plan to increase South Brisbane and West End's population from 8000 residents to 32,000 in 20 years' time.
This would mean an extra 46,000 residents in two inner-city Brisbane suburbs in the next two decades, highlighting a massive transformation for inner-city Brisbane