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New rules allowing fewer parking spaces in apartment buildings have been introduced, while details about several other proposals to increase building activity – including at Mount Gravatt, Cannon Hill and Alderley – have emerged.
Brisbane City Council debated its plan to permit higher-density development in areas zoned low-medium residential – which comprise about 14 per cent of the city – on Tuesday, while three proposed suburban renewal plans permitting taller towers were flagged.
“The way to actually increase the housing supply is to approve housing and get it built on the ground,” LNP councillor Krista Adams told the chamber during an hours-long debate.
“The way to minimise the housing crisis is to supply housing.”
From Friday, the parking space requirements for new multi-unit developments will be reduced.
All units will be required to have at least one parking space, but those with more than a single bedroom will have their existing requirement cut. The reduction will be even higher in designated areas near public transport hubs.
The Labor opposition voted against the policy, but the LNP argued it would make it cheaper to build homes and could knock tens-of-thousands of dollars off the price of a new unit.
“What we are saying is there is a middle ground here that will bring down costs but also still provide car parking at reasonable levels,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.
“So we’re finding the right balance.”
The council has previously said additional parking spaces can add about $80,000 to the cost of a new unit.
But Opposition leader Jared Cassidy argued that any saving would not necessarily be passed on to buyers.
“In reality, it’s proven to be a sellout to developers,” he told the chamber.
“There is no assurance mechanism to make sure these savings are passed on to consumers … the proposal rests on the trickle-down theory.”
Changes to low-medium-density residential areas would enable more townhouses and apartments to be built, which council says could create up to 6000 new homes by the 2032 Olympics.
Under the changes, maximum building heights will increase to three storeys, or four storeys in some areas near public transport or shopping hubs.
Labor supported that proposed change, which will now be sent to the state government for approval.
“There’s already the infrastructure there to support this housing,” councillor Adam Allan said.
“It’s not concentrated in one location, it’s across the whole of the city, where … existing hard infrastructure and social infrastructure amenity already exist.”
Labor had earlier proposed an amendment that would have required affordable housing targets and infrastructure plans for affected areas, but this was rejected by the LNP majority.
Meanwhile, new details on the Mount Gravatt Centre Suburban Renewal Precinct plan emerged after a public consultation period, with several proposed height limits reduced.
Buildings would be capped at 10 storeys on the land bounded by Rise Street, Gordon Parade, Logan and Nursery roads.
The limit would go down to five storeys on Springwood, Lauder, Selborne, and Raffles streets, as well as Creek Road. It would be eight storeys on land fronting Tenby Street.
A proposed new renewal precinct in Cannon Hill around the shopping centres and Southgate Corporate Park, and another in Alderley around South Pine Road and the train station, are set to go to public consultation.
Labor supported the progression of all three proposed precinct plans.
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