With over 2,100 parks under the management of the Brisbane City Council, plans are being set in motion to upgrade those in need of improvement, including Morningside’s very own Keralgerie Park.
During an environment, parks and sustainability committee, plans were drawn for nine suburban park upgrade projects spread across Brisbane by the Brisbane City Council. Morningside’s Keralgerie Park was among the list of parks due for improvement, and these improvements were set to happen within the year.
One of the additions the Brisbane City Council intends to bring is the implementation of easily-accessible public toilets close to the parking lot in Keralgerie Park — a necessary quality-of-life and convenience upgrade for drivers and passengers alike.
Parking is also set to become more accessible, and there are plans to install fitness equipment for public use throughout the area. There are also plans to plant additional trees for shade, and to create a new pedestrian and scooter path that encircles the entirety of the park to facilitate navigation.
With $71 million allocated to parks in the 2020-21 budget, an estimated $5.8 million is being put towards park recreation projects, with $2.7 million being spent on neighbourhood park upgrades and $3 million on suburban park maintenance.
“There’s a lot of work that goes upfront to make sure we’re getting the appropriate facilities to the community,” says Wade Fitzgerald, Brisbane City Council Major Projects and Asset Coordination Manager, stressing the importance of community feedback to the planning process.
Residents are against the proposed residential lots, new roads and drainage reserve plans for 54 and 133 Beelarong Street in Morningside.
An online petition led by a concerned Morningside resident has requested the Council to acquire the rural zoned land to protect it from residential development.
Locals who signed the petition agree that a residential development will never be appropriate on a land that comes under many City Plan 2014 overlays, which includes a wetland, an erosion-prone area, and a citywide waterway corridor.
Following concerns from the locals, the Brisbane City Council has already expressed their opinion regarding the matter. It now appears that even the Council does not support the proposal.
According to City Planning Chairman Matthew Bourke, Council has already raised several concerns with the applicant during pre-lodgement meetings and continued to raise concerns about flood-free access and environmental impacts during the ongoing assessment process.
BCC will not finalise the assessment of the proposed residential development unless it gets a response from the State Government to do so.
Cr Bourke said the State Government is required to review the development application as the proposal could potentially impact marine plants in the area.
The development application will require truck loads of fill to raise the land above most floods. This will likely result in an increased flood risk to all other properties within the Perrin Creek catchment.
It will also lead to loss of green space and destruction of protected vegetation and wildlife corridors, not to mention that it can cause unacceptable risk to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists on Beelarong Street.
Proposed Development
Based on the development application lodged in August 2018, the applicant is planning to build 23 house blocks and a new road in Beelarong Street in two stages.
The first stage will be for building nine lots, one balance lot and a new road. The final stage will be dedicated for constructing the 14 lots, a drainage reserve and another road.
Developers are seeking to link the subdivision to Beelarong Street through a local road network.
Cardno, the designer of the proposed subdivision believes the size and dimensions of the created lots are in keeping with the surrounding residential neighbourhood.
The designers are also convinced that the size and dimensions are appropriate for the siting and construction of dwelling houses on the lots in a manner that maximises private space, privacy, amenity and the economic use of land in a well-serviced locality.
The developer is convinced all rain events would not be worsened and assured that they are going to upgrade Beelarong St to ensure flood free access.
For further information about the proposed house blocks at Beelarong Street, see the Full DA – A005003693.
Heads up, Morningside peeps! Kerbside Collection is coming to Morningside on Monday, the 30th of October. It’s the perfect time to get rid of those big pieces of furniture and appliances or those clutters waiting for disposal. However, there are items that could be given a second lease on life. You may have clutter that can still be useful when recycled or donated.
Photo credit: www.1coast.com.au
Be prepared! Organise your clutter early and sort them out. Do note that there is a list of acceptable and unacceptable items. For the items that you want to take out, Brisbane City Council recommends that all items should be taken out this weekend. Just make sure that you follow the limit. The Council will only collect piles that are not larger than two cubic metres, or the equivalent of a small box trailer load to cater to the whole neighbourhood.
If you happen to have unacceptable items or items that you think are usable, don’t take these items out on the kerb. There are other places where you can bring these items.
Visit the Resource Recovery Centres to Recycle.
Photo credit: www.bmigroup.com.au
The Resource Recovery Centres is open for both recyclable and green or general waste. There are four recovery centres in Brisbane located in Willawong, Chandler, Ferny Grove, and Nudgee, that were recently upgraded to further help in reducing waste to landfill by making recycling easier and faster.
Do note that the centres are open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. every day, including Christmas and other holidays. Vehicles that are under 4.5 tonnes Combined Gross Vehicle Mass (CGVM) can use the drive-through recycling area for free, whilst vehicles above the limit can still use the service with fees applied.
The Resource Recovery Centres turn over all of the recyclable items that they collected to the tip shops in Acacia Ridge and Geebung. It’s the tip shops’ job to rethink and recycle the items that were turned over into something beautiful and useful. The shops stocks household furnishings, collectables, books, toys, and sporting equipments.
Photo credit: karenbenjaminartist/Instagram
These tip shops are operated by Endeavour Foundation, one of the largest non-government organisations with a goal to help people with disabilities. All of the proceeds are reinvested back into fulfilling the foundation’s goal.
Don’t hesitate to visit the tip shops on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Donate usable items to the charities.
Photo credit: www.nacro.org.au
If you have items that are usable with minimal or no damage at all, save these items from getting dumped and donate. According to the February 2017 NAB Charitable Giving Index, total charitable giving fell in Queensland by 2.5% over the year course since February 2016. This has made Queensland the lowest of all the states in terms of total donations.
There are charities where you can donate these items. The National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations Inc. (NACRO) is the peak organisation that holds several charities all over Australia, including Endeavour Foundation. NACRO’s assistance includes home visitations, refugee assistance, hospital and health services, aged care services, and other programs that will give benefits to the society.
Photo credit: GIVIT – Goods For Good Cause/Facebook
If you don’t have time to visit the charities, you can try to “GIVIT”. GIVIT is a national non-profit virtual organisation that supports all agencies, services, and charities in Australia in storing, sorting out, and distributing donations.
Donating to GIVIT is easy. Just check out their list of items that are needed by other people and charities or pledge your own items into the virtual warehouse through registration of every item on the website. There are also items that are prohibited to pledge.
What difference can a bicycle make for someone who has been living rough?It's homelessness week and a couple of months back, we made this video with our friends at UnitingCare West to show how real action and innovation can make a difference in people's lives. #Homelessness #HW2017
