In "MLES - Matters of Local Environmental Significance or maybe "Mate, Let's Engage Suitably" " published in the latest edition of Establish magazine, Stephen Hayes talks about the tensions between greening our city, defending neighbourhood character and keeping up with population growth.
With the mark of World Homelessness Day, it seems like no better time to look into our very own backyard and open our eyes to the ever-changing face of homelessness in Brisbane. It’s no secret that homelessness is a complex, multifaceted issue that holds a heavy stigma in our society, but who exactly is our homeless population?
Wolter Consulting Group (WCG) congratulates the Queensland Government on the initiative to address a range of design issues that are affecting our emerging communities. WCG supports the rationales that underpin the initiative to create healthy and active communities, however, in our response to Qld Government, we highlight several concerns with the new draft Model Code for Neighbourhood Design document, including, its wording and how it is to be implemented, and the overall consultation process for the initiative.
The Property Council of Australia's Inaugural Future Cities Summit in Sydney presented many important conversations about sustainable, smart and liveable cities, as industry leaders shared their thoughts and calls to action. But one message that particularly stood out was the groundswell support of the YIMBY movement including the recognition that developing a YIMBY mindset is key to future proof Australian cities. Here is what we took away from this event. Click on the title to read more.
An Infrastructure Designation is like Planning Gold! No longer bestowed on only public sector entities, an Infrastructure Designation (ID) is an opportunity to designate premises for the development of essential infrastructure and services, faster, at lower cost and without risk of appeal. Previously, only public entities were able to request these designations, however since the introduction of the Planning Act 2016, the process is able to be requested by private entities as well.
Deep planting is planting that is 100% open to the sky (no overhead structures) and 100% in natural ground with no underground infrastructure (no underground car parks or service conduits encased in concrete). Some of the proposed changes to deep planting, if adopted by Council, may substantially reduce the net usable space of a site, which may, in some cases, create feasibility issues for our clients. Click on the title to learn more.
Important historical and economic benefits of heritage sites usually come to mind when talking about internationally famous landmarks. As for social and community benefits, let’s take a step back to our own hometown. People who have never lived in Brisbane would be unlikely to know anything about our city’s best gems such as the Customs House, the Windmill, the Woolstores, ANZAC Square or the Breakfast Creek Hotel. Yet to our residents and off-the-beaten-track visitors alike, these places are significant parts of Brisbane’s identity. We know them, we identify with them and therefore, they underpin our sense of belonging to this city and to Brisbane community.
What are the potential outcomes for our city, based on the recent Major Amendment Package E to Brisbane City Plan? This question is at the forefront of many minds in our industry, and everyone else who cares about housing, sustainability and liveability of our city. We support Council in its initiative to implement improvements and innovations including formally recognising car sharing services, however we believe there is potential for much more successful outcomes if some of the proposed amendments were not so restrictive and prescriptive.
Wolter Consulting Group, on behalf of Brisbane Catholic Education, has secured Ministerial Infrastructure Designation for the new Plainland Secondary College.
Drafting is known to be one of the oldest documented professions, with the earliest drawings found on cave walls and dating back many thousands of years. The earliest recorded piece of history discovered, was the drafting board which dates back to 2000 – 3000 B.C and features a fossilised aerial view of a Babylonian castle. With rocks being used as drafting tools, the life of a Drafter was definitely not as we know it today.