Brisbane City Council has ruled out shifting its Toowong council ward office to a proposed commercial development at a Toowong rugby club ground it owns.
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On Monday, Toowong residents raised questions about council's plans to shift Cr Peter Matic's office to the proposed development.
After the plan was reported by Fairfax Media on Tuesday, Brisbane City Council said the shift would not take place.
Cr Peter Matic issued a statement saying: "The Toowong Ward office will not be relocating to the site of the Wests Rugby Union Club at Sylvan Road Toowong.
"While discussions had occurred between council officers and the Wests Rugby Union Club, nothing had been finalised because the independent development assessment process had not run its course."
Cr Matic supported the development and shifting his office to be part of the Wests Rugby Union proposal in a letter in October 2014.
Cr Matic said he had no further conversations with West Rugby Union after November 2014 when the Electoral Commission of Queensland announced a re-drawing of council boundaries before the 2016 council elections.
"Nevertheless I am concerned that this issue may reflect on the independence of the development assessment process," he said.
"If the development was to receive approval, I am stating today that the Toowong Ward Office will not relocate to the Wests Rugby Union facility."
"There will be no consideration of a change of ward office location until after the redistribution of Ward boundaries are finalised."
EARLIER:
Wests Bulldogs' plan is to "turn" the football ground at the heritage-listed Toowong Memorial Park "north-south", and add a major commercial development with 113 car parks.
As a final twist, the Bulldogs proposed that local councillor Peter Matic close his council office in High Street at Toowong and shift it to their proposed redevelopment on nearby Sylvan Road.
Bewildered Brisbane residents on Monday night voiced their objections to the expansion plan at a meeting at the office of local MP Dr Steven Miles.
Wests have been the major tenants of Toowong Memorial Park since 1973-74 and lodged plans for the redevelopment in November 2014.
The Bulldogs propose to dig into the hill above the Sylvan Road playing fields, "re-orientate" their field and then build a series of offices, a gymnasium, car parks, a modern clubhouse, medical facilities and meetings rooms.
Some old pine trees – part of the Anzac Memorial Avenue - planted to honour the WW1 Anzac Diggers are threatened by the plans to build a large embankment around the rugby field.
In a letter on October 17, 2014, Cr Matic supported the idea, saying the addition of his office to the proposed redevelopment would "further enhance the facility as a community hub" and "provide even greater benefit to the general community".
Council Opposition Leader Milton Dick said he could not see why Cr Matic's office needed to shift to the proposed development.
"I have never – in the history of the council – heard of a ward office being moved to a sporting facility," Cr Dick said.
"They are always co-located where there is heavy foot traffic, where there is access to public transport.
"Like a council library, a major shopping centre. I've got some serious questions about the leasing conditions."
"Is there an additional cost of moving from High Street for ratepayers?
"And none of this was flagged in the council's 2014-15 budget."
He said residents appeared to have little knowledge of the massive proposed changes to Toowong Memorial Park.
The council's Neighbourhood Planning Committee chairwoman Amanda Cooper said no decision had been made on the application.
"Council officers are currently reviewing feedback from the community on the proposal," Cr Cooper said.
Objections closed on March 13, she said.
Cr Cooper said Cr Matic was not assessing the Bulldogs' proposal.
"As local councillor he has provided a letter of support for the club, however, this is not an endorsement of the detailed plans," she said.
She said Cr Matic had been asked his view of the application in his ward.
"Cr Matic is asked for his feedback as local councillor on behalf of his constituents, as all councillors are about applications lodged in their wards. This comment forms part of the officers' consideration of community feedback."
Cr Cooper said an evaluation of whether Cr Matic's Toowong office should shift – if the development were approved – was a separate issue.
That would include checking the locations and the rents.
"Any location of a potential ward office would include a standard procurement process for a commercial lease, which includes the evaluation of locations and rents. The two processes are separate and independent of each other."
An extra 113 car parks to be added to the development will be right up against the rear doors of apartments in adjacent Bayliss Street.
Peter Roles, one of two dozen Bayliss Street residents who have complained about the proposal, said residents were concerned at the scale of the redevelopment.
"The development is for commercial applications on parkland; that is the primary objection," Mr Role said.
"So there are offices which will be leased out; there will be a commercial gymnasium and a series of meeting rooms which will also be let out to the public."
Mr Roles said he was annoyed that some of the trees that had been planted as part of the Anzac Memorial Avenue appeared to be in danger as the playing field was shifted.
"To the best that I can work out from the very rudimentary plan that they have provided, that is what they intend to do," Mr Roles said.
He said he was also concerned at plans to shift the Toowong council ward office from High Street to the new centre in Sylvan Road.
"Which to my mind, there is really a conflict of interest going on there," Mr Roles said.
In other submissions, residents of the nearby Mayne Villas in Bayliss Street complain that:
- The development is too close to their pool.
- The development means more night events.
- The re-orientation of the playing field brings it closer to residents.
- The extra cars are a safety risk to children using the park.
- They have a lack of faith in the rugby club's management.
- "On historical behaviour of the club management, it would be reasonable to assume that the future level of care towards neighbours will be low to non-existent."
