Dear Neighbours,

A warmer-than-usual Spring is here, and as always there is lots happening across the Gabba Ward and city wide. Within this newsletter, you'll find information about:

• Brisbane City Council 10% Cuts
• Temporary Local Planning Instrument: Kurilpa
• Thrive: our ward-wide consultation 
• Laura Street Festival
• Raymond Park Community Dinners

Brisbane City Council 10% Cuts

Last week, the Lord Mayor announced a 10% cut across the Council to fill a $400 million budget hole. These cuts come just six weeks after the LNP announced in August that they were handing big developers 50-75% tax cuts in particular areas of the city. This tax cut will be applied to the "infrastructure charges" that big developers pay, which is meant to fund vital projects and services like parks, stormwater, public transport and community facilities. 

Because of this $400 million budget cut, any Council project without signed contracts will be on the chopping block across all of Council's areas of operation, including:

• Drainage
• Suburban works projects (active transport, road corridor updates, intersections and crossings, etc.)
• Community facilities, sporting fields etc.
• Park acquisitions and embellishments, tree planting etc.
• Infrastructure, bikeways, pedestrian upgrades etc.
• Suburban Enhancement Fund projects

The LNP has already announced that the West End - Toowong Green bridges will be paused "indefinitely". This is a massive broken promise. The Saint Lucia - West End Green Bridge seems effectively dead. Other immediate cuts include the Brisbane Metro's commitment to spend 1% of its budget to deliver public art , and delaying shade on Victoria Bridge, a crucial active transport connection.

Our growing area needs more, not less, investment in services and infrastructure, and these should come from developer contributions and a review of wasteful road-widening projects. Developers should pay their fair share. 

I'll keep you all posted as I fight and negotiate for the delivery of unfunded projects across the Gabba.

Thrive: Update

We've worked with over 150 residents across the Ward at our Kurilpa Derby Thrive Pop Up, Kangaroo Point Development and Visioning workshop, and Laura Street Festival workshop. We received feedback from residents across the Ward about what they love, challenges of living in the Ward, and future visions. I am excited to share that, along with future workshops, we have an online survey available - please share your thoughts with us by clicking below:

Saturday November 4 - West End Thrive Workshop - 2pm

Saturday November 11 - Woolloongabba Thrive Workshop - 1pm

Temporary Local Planning Instrument: Kurilpa

On Monday, 9 October, the Labor Deputy Premier issued approved the Kurilpa Sustainable Growth Precinct Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) No. 02 of 2023 - a near copy of the TLPI that the LNP Lord Mayor proposed back in May (for more background, read Trina’s article about the TLPI here.)

The implemented TLPI will suspend the current Kurilpa neighbourhood plan, rewarding developers with increased height limits from 8-, 15- and 30-storey developments to 20/30-storey, 50-storey, and unlimited, respectively.

Residents, community groups, schools and sporting clubs united in opposition to the TLPI. We highlighted the critical need for affordable housing and social infrastructure to accommodate hyper-densification. The Kurilpa TLPI No. 02 fails to deliver greenspace for residents; sets out no future infrastructure plans like new bus or active transport routes; offers no requirements to deliver community spaces; and provides no zoning for new schools

Most importantly, this TLPI does not mandate the delivery of any affordable housing. It lets developers choose to:

1. deliver 20% of dwellings as affordable housing, defined by dwellings rented at 80% of the already-inflated market rate; or
2. include a combination of at least 3 types of the following dwellings, with no more than 60% of any one type: studio, one-, two, or 3+ bedroom

There's no requirement for affordable housing in the TLPI Kurilpa. NONE. Developers don’t have to supply anything remotely affordable, so long as they include a mix of unit sizes!

The approved Kurilpa TLPI No. 02 does not address any of our fundamental concerns. We need new local schools, more active and public transport, and heaps of greenspace to absorb this massive increase to our number of residents. Coupled with the recent tax breaks for developers, Labor and the Liberal’s TLPI will leave our community worse off.

I'll continue to work with residents and local community groups to fight the TLPI, and we as the Greens will continue to fight the development-led approach by the LNP and Labor.

Laura Street Festival!

After a two-year hiatus, Laura Street is back! A huge shout out to the residents of Laura Street, who put on the fantastic Laura Street Festival last weekend.

Thank-you to all the organisers, volunteers, residents, and festival guests for delivering a true grassroots community festival. I can't wait for next year.

Photo credit: West End Community association

Raymond Park Community Dinners

Have you been to one of our weekly dinners in Raymond Park?? Weekly from 5 pm - 7 pm, our volunteer-run dinners are an opportunity to grab a meal and meet your neighbours!

Best wishes,

Taylor