Brisbane Council rejects underground night club proposal
Brisbane City Council’s City Planning Committee has rejected plans to build a 15-storey development and underground nightclub next to the Normanby Hotel.
The council knocked it back on a number of grounds including concerns about “unreasonable impact on traffic”. The planning committee also felt the development would “detrimentally affect the amenity of the surrounding area."
City Planning Chairman Julian Simmonds said the height and size of the hotel went to the council’s concerns about the multi-unit dwelling and underground nightclub at the Normanby Hotel site.
“Council officers have recommended the application is refused due to the height and size of the hotel tower in what is an area characterised by heritage buildings and tin and timber homes,” Cr Simmonds told the Courier Mail.
“The Normanby Hotel has been a local landmark since 1890 and is listed both on council and state government heritage registers.
“Council believes a maximum of four storeys is appropriate for this site as indicated in City Plan, not 15 storeys as is proposed.
“Despite this, the applicant has refused to reduce the height of the hotel tower, so it was more in keeping with surrounding buildings.”
He said council was also focused on the building design,
The building, it said, would encompass the entire site and dominate the streetscape, as well as the traffic impacts to Kelvin Grove Road.
There were also significant concerns about the public notification process.
In October last year, the council told the developer to undertake community consultation after it was found they had not correctly advertised the proposed development.
Residents were also worried about the proposal and the council had received more than 100 submissions from the local community.
That included councillor Peter Matic who fiercely opposed the proposal.
Cr Matic told the Courier Mail that the building would dominate the skyline and would not fit in with the surrounding area of red-brick heritage buildings, century old terrace houses and Queenslander homes.
by Leon Gettler, May 24th 2016
