Plans to develop twelve apartments on an 818m2 property in Alexandra Hills could lead to a massive increase in residential density along Finucane Road over the next decade.
Plans for a four story apartment complex at 180 Finucane Road, close to the Alexandra Hills shopping centre, are being considered by Redland City Council.
Images showing the plans and location of this development application are presented in a slideshow below.
This 818m2 property is located in a medium density zone which extends from Allenby Road to Mackay Court on the northern side of Finucane Road. All properties in Alexandra Hills north of Finucane Road are in electoral Division 8, currently held by Cr Tracey Huges.
Medium density zoned properties south of Finucane Road between Vienna Road and Windemere Road are located in electoral Division 7, currently held by Cr Murray Elliott.
This development application MCU20/0009 is code assessable which means that there is no legal requirement for community consultation.
Unless this application is ‘called in’ by a Redland City councillor for decision by the full Council, the development can be approved under delegation by Council officers.
Four storey development in Alexandra Hills
Plans submitted on behalf of property owner Monty Khoury would see the existing home and shed demolished to make way for twelve apartments each with two bedrooms.
In line with Redland City Council’s planning scheme requirements, the ground floor would provide 20 car parks including two car parks for visitors.
Above the ground floor car parks would be three floors of residential accommodation. Each floor will have four apartments, all with two bedrooms.
This level of residential density was made possible by the current Council’s decision in July 2018 to adopt a new planning scheme (known as the Redland City Plan) .
Developer friendly City Plan to impact on Alexandra Hills
Importantly, the new planning scheme allows for medium density developments to have a hugely increased site coverage ratio.
Under the previous planning scheme site coverage was limited to 45% but in 2018 a majority of councillors supported having a planning scheme which allows 75% site coverage.
The current development application for 180 Finucane Road claims that site coverage will be 67%. It’s to be hoped that Council officers undertake a careful assessment to ensure that planning scheme guidelines for assing site coverage are interpreted properly and enforced diligently.
By dispensing with Redlands specific building codes, the Council has made it easy for property developers to maximize financial yield on their property investments.
At 180 Finucane Road, the developer is proposing to build a four storey apartment block with just a three metre setback from the neighbouring property on the long eastern side.
Narrow setbacks on corner blocks were discussed at a recent meeting of Redland City Council with some councillors beginning to understand some of the deficiencies in the planning scheme which was approved by a 9/2 majority in July 2018.
Deficiencies in the current Redland City Plan have been discussed in these stories by Redlands2030:
Council is reviewing medium density planning rules, slowly
The Council is currently reviewing the planning scheme’s provisions for medium density development.
The timeframe for actually implementing changes to Redland City’s medium density residential planning rules is likely to take more than 12 months.
Proposed changes first have to be blessed by the State Government. Only then can the proposed changes be put out for community consultation. Once the will of the community has been expressed, the Council then has to go back to the State Government for final approval.
Twelve new apartments at 180 Finucane Road may be completed and occupied well before the Council can tighten up its planning scheme rules for medium density development.
Questions for Council election candidates
The local council elections are on Saturday 28 March 2020.
Details of who is running for which position can be found on the RedlandsVotes website.
Here are three simple questions that can be asked of any candidate for any division, or the mayoralty:
- Are you familiar with Council’s planning scheme rules for medium density residential development in Redland City?
- Are you satisfied with these medium density planning rules?
- If you are not satisfied, what would you do about improving these planning scheme rules?
Plans for development at 180 Finucane Road, Alexandra Hills
Slideshow of nine images showing maps of the area, plans of proposed developent at 180 Finucane Road and the Division 8 boundary map.
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- Alexandra Hills
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- Finucane Road in Alexandra Hills
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- Medium density zoning – in red
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- Car parks – 180 Finucane Road in Alexandra Hills
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- Swept path analysis of how to park at 180 Finucane Road,
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- Four apartments on each of three levels
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- Elizabeth Drive view
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- Finucane Road view
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- 180 Finucane Road is in Division 8
Redlands2030 – 1 March 2020
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4 Comments
I feel sorry for the people around it I live near the high rise buildings near the RSL and harbour developments The Police are around on a daily basis the swearing fights are common the streets chocked with cars What happens to the people we elect to look after the whole community? Do they suffer some form of complaint once elected. Why don’t they do what is happening in Manly where the CBD is completely redeveloped into high rise new shops underneath office space above so after work there is a sound buffer for the people living above as most days after 5 people go home Their could be a cinema, dining, coffee shops to enjoy every evening with nice bay views walking distance to public transport and train This way NO TOONDAH HARBOUR? NO more high rise in the suburbs. Pull down the Council Chambers start again? NO there is more money in bay water views and small block high rise development the residents can go jump in the lake.
I’ve lived since mid-1986 adjacent to Finucane Rd and 4-way intersection at Old Cleveland and Moreton Bay Rds Capalaba. Today waiting times are growing longer accessing Finucane Rd from Elmhurst Street. On opening door mornings, polluted air greets me one can’t escape while politicians who stand to gain financially from filling vacant lots with apt bldgs. units, etc. live in leafy suburbs without traffic congestion & polluted air. We don’t stand a chance in Capalaba and Alexandra Hills as we are now seeing in and around where I live more vacant lots cleared in total to make way for developing more units/apt bldgs. with scant open space left due to insatiable greed by Council & State government heavyweights blind to increased traffic congestion, road crashes and deaths we have witnessed in past two years on Finucane Rd, two recently at turnaround built by Newman Administration after Willard/Finucane Rd collision killing young 26 yr old male. Semi-trailer killed 25-yr old female at 4-way intersection, there have been numerous near-misses, crash close to 4-way intersection 2 weeks ago on Old Cleveland Rd seeing two ambulances, fire truck, police directing traffic, yet no news reports of increased road trauma we are seeing today …nothing is done to alleviate traffic congestion that is horrific as in a.m. traffic build up is from 4-way intersection winding around to Windemere Rd Alex Hills. Yet…this is area where this proposed new 12-apt building is to be built?
Motorists in a.m. to avoid school holdups travelling along Windemere Rd turn left into Crotona Rd then right into Elmhurst St to access congested Finucane Rd Capalaba. Does Council or Main Roads personnel care? Most vehicles in Redlands are ‘utes’ powered by diesel, known carcinogenic, yet nothing is done to halt development in an already heavily built up area where health and wellbeing of a community is not considered important. Shame on Redland City Council and State Government politicians promoting over-development in an area already heavily built up that cause traffic jams in a.m. and p.m. rush hour traffic leading to road trauma we are now becoming accustomed to seeing as normal….when we have politicians, State and local, who only care about development….ignoring any right to a local community of health and wellbeing. Approving over-development in already built up locations non-stop…appears to be acceptable in planning schemes with no thought to preservation of wildlife, its people, or rate-paying local communities.
What a greedy council Redlands you follow the path of others.
Good bye Mayor you have stuffed the Redlands enough.
The problem with the Council’s lax regulations on medium/high density unit developments on house blocks as small as 818 square metres is that traffic congestion continues to worsen as more and more people are packed into a finite area. We have seen so many of these developments over the last 10 years yet the roads stay the same. The council blames the state government and they in turn blame the council but both of them make money on these developments. Since 2010 there have been no major road upgrades in the Redlands except for an intersection on the corner of Giles and Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd where two major road accidents occurred involving the death of a driver. There have been many medium/high density unit developments in Redland Bay, Victoria Point, Thornlands, Capalaba and Cleveland yet Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd is still mostly single lane in each direction. Residents of Redland Bay complain that peak hour traffic now has major bottle necks and it can take 30 minutes to drive from Redland Bay to Cleveland CBD. This last weekend I waited for three light changes just to be able to get out onto Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd at the Boundary Street traffic lights. Traffic was banked up for 500 metres back to the round-about at Main Street and it was not even peak hour. Sure, the council makes money on rates for each apartment but people move from the city to the Redlands for a relaxed Bayside lifestyle, not to spend time in bumper to bumper traffic. We definitely need new blood and a new direction in Redland City Council.