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Council anger as UQ plans new bridge to West End

Tony Moore
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The University of Queensland's plan for a bridge in the middle of a Brisbane City Council-owned park at West End has angered the council and a community group, who said they had heard "not a peep" from the uni.

UQ's master plan shows a second "green bridge" – similar to the Eleanor Schonell Bridge at Dutton Park – built across to West End to help shape its next 20 years.

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However, UQ plans to land the bridge, which must be capable of carrying light rail, in the middle of Orleigh Park at West End for its 50,000 students.

The council will now ask the Queensland government to refuse a planning exemption for the university so it cannot bypass standard development controls including court appeals, accepting community feedback and paying infrastructure charges.

The St Lucia Community Association, which was part of the community consultation, questions the impact on Hawken Drive of plans to build an underground bus station under the university and plans to increase buses to Indooroopilly and Toowong.

The university also proposes increases in density in parts of St Lucia, Indooroopilly and Long Pocket.

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The plan proposes a new underground bus station linking the existing UQ St Lucia Lakes bus station and the Chancellor's Place bus station and a "longer-term" new bridge to Yeronga. It is proposing to build a second campus at Long Pocket.

However, the master plan includes the council's earlier Metro plan, not the revised Metro plan, which already offers extra buses over the Eleanor Schonell Bridge.

The University of Queensland's new master plan shows the second bridge to West End should be capable of carrying light rail or mass transit traffic.

The bridge could run between St Lucia's Guyatt Park and West End's Orleigh Park.

"The delivery of the Eleanor Schonell Bridge markedly changed travel habits to and from campus," the plan says.

"To ensure the sustainable operation of the campus, a second crossing that links to the city centre via West End is unequivocally required."

The link is part of the University of Queensland's "short-to-medium" term view of the redeveloped Avalon Theatre area near Guyatt Park at St Lucia.

Brisbane City Council's city planning chairman Cr Julian Simmonds said the plan asked for "an extra eight storeys along Hawken Drive, eight storeys at Indooroopilly and six storeys near the Avalon Theatre precinct".

"And they can't leave that for ratepayers to foot the bill for," Cr Simmonds said.

Cr Simmonds said he was "embarrassed" the plan included Brisbane City Council's old Metro project, not the new version, which promises extra buses over the Eleanor Schonell Bridge.

He also asked if the West End community had been asked its view of landing the proposed bridge in Orleigh Park.

"Whether residents are prepared to lose their council green space for a bridge is also yet to be discussed by the community," he said.

"But I would be very surprised if the community was prepared to fund hundreds of millions of dollars of new infrastructure without the University of Queensland coming to the party."

University of Queensland Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Hoj said UQ's chief operating officer had discussed the plan with Cr Simmonds on February 22, 2017, and on November 9, 2016 and Brisbane City Council had been involved in planning sessions in October and December 2016 and on February 7, 2017.

"So it is not the case that they are hearing this for the first time," Professor Hoj said.

West End Community Association president Dr Erin Evans said they had heard "not a peep" from UQ.

"Given the lack of green space in this area we would want to consider this proposal very carefully," Dr Evans said.

Professor Hoj said transport consultants MRCagney had consulted on the bridge location and advised that Orleigh Park better connected with cycleways than the original Boundary Street suggestion.

St Lucia Community Association spokesperson James Mackay said residents at the community meetings were told the bridge was for pedestrians and cyclists.

They learnt the bridge would carry buses and light rail only when the information was given to them in hard copy.

"The problem is the university administration has a pattern of behaviour of saying one thing and doing another," Mr Mackay said.

He also questioned the impact of large numbers of extra buses running along Hawken Drive.

"Hawken Drive is for low-frequency buses," Mr Mackay said.

"Will they need to expand Hawken Drive to accommodate extra buses?

"How can we put any faith in what they say?

"We don't want it to turn into the Hawken Highway."

The public transport options are part of the draft University of Queensland master plan released on Monday for public comments.

Quick facts

  1. There are 99,200 commuter trips to the University of Queensland each day and 63 per cent of them made by public transport or bike;
  2. Travel 'demand" to University of Queensland has increased by 31 per cent, but ferry travel has dropped;
  3. Car share of transport has dropped from 59 per cent to 38 per cent (2002 to 2017).