A Labor-led urgency motion to support federal Ryan Liberal MP Jane Prentice’s call for the federal government to purchase the former ABC site at Toowong has been shot down in Brisbane City Council.
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Ms Prentice – a former Brisbane LNP councillor who was disendorsed by the LNP for federal preselection last year – told News Corp on Monday that she had written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison urging him to purchase the former ABC site and return it to green space.
“With the plans for ever increasing high rise development in the local area I feel it is important that local residents be afforded an open space for all to enjoy,” she told News Corp.
“This is a unique site on the riverfront, accessible by public transport and in the heart of a fast growing area with easy access to the CBD and University of Queensland.”
It follows a successful challenge last year by local residents in the planning and environment court against a planned development by Sunland, nicknamed the ‘champagne flutes’.
In February Maiwar Greens MP Michael Berkman also urged the state government to purchase the site and convert it to parkland, saying it offered a “unique opportunity” for residents in Toowong.
However, Sunland told Brisbane Times in January that a new development was being prepared for the site after the rejection of the three flute Zaha Hadid design.
Ms Prentice lost LNP preselection for her seat last year in favour of sitting Brisbane councillor Julian Simmons.
ALP councillor Steve Griffiths (Moorooka) moved an urgency motion calling on the council to support her efforts, saying she made “very good points”.
“The site is unique, it offers great opportunity for our city, it’s close to the river, it offers good access to public transport,” Cr Griffiths said.
“It is surrounded by high rise, many many high rise.
“It is offering the city a prime opportunity to show we don’t just support increasing development, we also support increasing our parks.”
Cr Griffiths said supporting Ms Prentice’s efforts would show Toowong residents the council was not committed to “over-development” at the cost of public space, and was seeking to “get the balance right”.
Mr Berkman wrote to Treasurer Jackie Trad asking for the state government to investigate the opportunity to buy the land from developers Sunland and convert it into a public recreation space, a motion not supported by Ms Trad.
The site, opposite Toowong Village, is zoned as a major commercial, mixed-use centre with a maximum of 15 storeys.
The ABC's former Toowong headquarters on Coronation Drive was abandoned in December 2006 after a series of breast cancer cases were reported by female staff.
No cause was identified, although the cancer cluster was investigated twice.
Sunland bought the abandoned site in 2013 for $20 million.
Cr Griffiths called on Cr Simmons to support the motion and prove to Toowong residents he was aware of their concerns about over-development in the area.
The motion was lost.
