Design Update for 281-297 Montague Rd, West End

I don’t understand the logic behind most of the critical comments here. Clearly there is an expression of nimby sentiment about this development.

Let’s face reality – it is the West End. It will undoubtedly grow further and further with demand. If local residents take issue about overcrowding then maybe the solution is to move elsewhere, or embrace it…

This looks like garbage! Why is it so tall, don’t we have hight limits in West End? That was rhetorical, yes we do. Which council member/government employee is getting a cushy job for pushy this through?

Current restrictions are 12 storeys in West End. Go away and doing something the community will support with 12 storeys. If it doesn’t work, it wasn’t meant to.

Montague Road is already overloaded with traffic and cannot be widened. Parking is at a premium.

Overcrowding creates more mental fatigue. Let’s look after our community.

Work within the current regulations of 12 storeys. Not interested in anything higher.

Montague

There are some sensible comments in this article, and there’s a lot of local community backlash (as per previous articles.)

Surely there’s a common ground between recognizing the need for more units close to the CBD and local community concerns around over-development and congestion.

Why can’t the developer limit these buildings to 12 storeys now (as per current BCC regulations) but design the buildings to be expandable to 22 storeys for future growth? We know BCC has plans for the West-end riverside: the Kurilpa masterplan indicates more Southbank style riverwalks and City Cat stops, and we know there’s plans for old concrete plant/ milk factory. The recycling factory is already purchased and earmarked for the Olympics broadcasting centre.

Why not hedge your bets and meet current requirements (i.e. 12 storey buildings) whilst encouraging BCC to address infracstructure for the area’s future demands. We all know Brisbane will eventually need 22 storey buildings to accomodate future populations, but we also want gradual building height increases in keeping with a city master plan.

A building that sticks out like a sore thumb serves only the developer and smacks of council corruption: just look at Sydney’s Barangaroo Crown Tower.

Wow! Even the architect drawings are full of shadows… imagine how much worse it will be in reality. Please don’t take away our sunshine.

This architect should try again, and design the buildings to be aligned to height regulations and the neighbourhood plan.
I am an apartment owner and I love apartment living in West End, so I am not against development.
But development needs to be done responsibly taking into account all factors NOT JUST profit!
When the public buy stand alone property they need to abide by council planning and overlays such as heritage and environmental.
It should be no different for large scale developers.

They knew what the height restrictions were when they bought the land. Trying to push this through as anything other than a rort, is unacceptable.

This project must go ahead, the design update has fixed all of the issues with the previous proposal in my opinion. There will always be people who oppose development, at the end of the day, we need more high rises. We need hundreds of more skyscrapers built in Brisbane. We are a metropolis and I am sick of people trying to preserve their sleepy peaceful suburbs, you live in a large city! We need more housing! We need to grow right now, no delays. The growth should be done properly I agree, and this updated proposal is an example of a development done correctly. There’s a huge amount of green space, the design is pleasing to the eye, there is provisions for expanding local public transport routes, this is EXACTLY what we need.

The only justification for exceeding the limit of 12 storeys by the interstate developer is greed… It’s certainly not to the benefit of the community that an exemption for 20 storeys gets approved here no matter what offsets they propose, a terrible precedent.

unfortunately that’s another attempt to fit a monstrosity into small overcrowded West End. The buildings look ok-ish (I’d like to see how green they’ll be in 5-10-15 years).
There are huge issues with design:
1. Not enough elevators for 10-12 apartments per floor, 17 floors
2. Only one entry to car park for 400+ residents and retail?
3. Entry to carpark off Montague Rd from city is right turn over double line or you’d have to do a U-turn somewhere further Montague Rd to get back?
4. For retail there’s no loading zones – how trucks are going to deliver anything? same for passenger pickup/dropoff – no loading zones around the building!
5. What’s the flood-proofing of the building? this area got flooded twice in last 12 years, whole area lost power for 2-3 weeks – electricity/substation should be a bit higher… no?

that’s just a few things on the list from the quick look.
reduce the height of the buildings to max 10 floors, fix carpark entry and address floods and it’ll be ok

Another attempt by the developer to ignore the height restrictions in place by the council. The original plans were approved by the then council. I fail to see why a developer can keep attempting to raise the number of units by redesigning the towers, surely the council must see through this façade?

Many factors for concern other than those already discussed, wind speeds through two large towers, shadowing of fields, the intersection of Vulture and Montague Roads could not possible cope with another development.

Where is all the infrastructure the council promised to deliver for existing developments which the developers paid for? No city cat, no bridges, no proper traffic management, all I see if high rise and more larger schools. No traffic management in place to facilitate parents dropping and collecting students. I see little or no management within this sector at all.

Council serve your citizens properly.