HISTORY: Vigorous Protest 1932 (Déjà vu)

“A number of our correspondents have vigorously protested against a proposal attributed to the City Council to build a new motor road through the most beautiful part of Anzac Park, Toowong, invading a picturesque track along the hill slopes...”

The Brisbane Courier, Thursday 10 March 1932, page 14 HERE

TRANSCITY Legacy Way

CONSTRUCTION WEBSITE HERE

World History: Anzac Park Toowong

"...Anzac Park, Toowong, the first place in the world to bear that historic title, it is understood."

Read the article in The Brisbane Courier, Monday 27 January 1919, page 5 HERE

In the beginning - 1916

The Brisbane Courier, Saturday 9 December 1916, page 4 HERE

ANZAC Park Toowong was a very popular choice as a place for families and friends to spend the day celebrating Australia Day today.
Great to see so many enjoying themselves and the kids having so much fun.

MEDIA: The Australian January 22, 2011 'Newman the city man committed to another term in Brisbane'

"The man who revels in his nickname of "Can-do Campbell" said this week he had a huge to-do list dealing with the floods and seeing through plans to expand Brisbane's tolled road tunnel network.

"I've got a City Hall (to rebuild), I've got to build the Legacy Way tunnel," he said. "If Legacy Way had been in place last week you wouldn't have had the city half paralysed."

Read full story HERE

(Legacy Way Northern Link - Connecting the Centenary Motorway and the Inner City Bypass - The Inner City Bypass was flooded with 11 million litres of water recently and closed.)

Minister's Response to 'Anzac Park not car park' E-petition

‘Anzac Park not car park’ e-petition on the Queensland Parliament website, sponsored by Hon Andrew Fraser MP, 5-24 November 2010 received 591 signatures.

The Minister Hon Stirling Hinchliffe MP, Queensland Government Department of Infrastructure and Planning, was provided with a copy of the e-petition.

Click here for the Minister’s Response of 17 January 2011

The second last paragraph states:

On 17 December 2010, the Coordinator-General finalised assessment of the proposed project changes. In the Coordinator-General's report, the Coordinator-General refused the proposal to locate workforce parking within a section of Anzac Park. It was recommended the proponent review the project's workforce parking strategy and consider existing parking areas in the vicinity of the project site.

Not mentioned in this response is that while the Coordinator-General refused BCC Legacy Way’s proposal of October 2010 the Coordinator General’s Report on Project Changes December 2010 states that the ANZAC Park site can be reconsidered:

While there is merit to the proposal and the refinements proposed by BCC provide greater detail about how the proposal’s impacts will be managed, further consideration of alternate locations is required in order to understand if locating parking elsewhere would reduce disturbance to the community while providing a workable solution for the project. The part of the project changes application that relates to the request to locate temporary car parking in a section of Anzac Park as provided in this change process is therefore refused...

Note that the Anzac Park proposal may be reconsidered in the subsequent assessment as a part of the project’s parking proposal, however the proponent is advised to consider this option only after other options have been fully explored. Additionally, it is recommended that it be considered as being used in conjunction with other parking solutions not provided in the RD (Reference Design).

This information should be provided as part of any application under section 35C of the SDPWO Act. It would be assessed by the Coordinator-General as part of a separate change process under Part 4, Division 3A of the SDPWO Act. Consultation will be undertaken at that time to ascertain community views.

Recommendation 1 also advises the proponent to undertake community consultation on its parking strategy, regardless of if a change process under the SDPWO Act occurs. (page 50-51 HERE)

Since the Coordinator-General's refusal BCC have told us that a detailed study of the ANZAC Park site will be included in BCC's detailed study of 'alternative' sites to be undertaken in early 2011.

We don’t yet have a list of the alternative sites from BCC.

Community consultation

BCC Legacy Way will have information in relation to community consultation for the Project's parking plan in around a month or so.

Legacy Way will be undertaking detailed studies of all options they wish to use for construction workforce car parking - all options include reconsidering the ANZAC Park site, therefore, a detailed study of ANZAC Park will also be undertaken. It appears BCC have unlimited resources to carry out all of these detailed studies when there are a few obvious alternatives to destroying ANZAC Park, which would satisfy the Coordinator-General's imposed off-street construction workforce car parking condition.

Unfortunately the wishes of the community to respect and preserve ANZAC Park have been ignored by BCC Legacy Way. Our fight continues.

Do TRANSCITY realise the hostility that BCC Legacy Way is creating between the community and the tunnel project? Are they happy to have their workforce desecrate ANZAC memorial ground?

The council's $1.5 billion Northern Link project will go ahead despite opposition calls to stall it and use the money for the flood recovery.

Courier-Mail January 19 2011 HERE

BCC Legacy Way reply to enquiry in relation to community consultation

On Monday 17 January 2011 a reply to the below enquiry was received. It stated that BCC Legacy Way will undertake an investigation of alternative sites for the location of the construction workers’ car park – however it will also be including the ANZAC Park site in these ‘alternative’ sites and will be undertaking a detailed study of ANZAC Park in 2011 - as well as undertaking detailed studies of the alternative sites.

Sounds like BCC Legacy Way do not rely understand what ‘alternative’ means or what the Coordinator-General has instructed them to do in REFUSING their application in December 2011 to locate the construction workforce car park within ANZAC Park.

The Coordinator-General has instructed BCC to 'fully explore other options' which does not mean including the ANZAC Park site - at this stage. Alternatives to ANZAC Park are to be fully explored before reconsidering the ANZAC Park proposal, and if the ANZAC Park proposal is reconsidered it is only to be reconsidered as being used in conjunction with other parking solutions not provided in the Reference Design. As well, Legacy Way is to provide, in any further application in relation to its parking plan, information on how it has fully explored these other options.

Read page 51 of the CG Report – Note that the Anzac Park proposal may be reconsidered in the subsequent assessment as a part of the project’s parking proposal, however the proponent is advised to consider this option only after other options have been fully explored. Additionally, it is recommended that it be considered as being used in conjunction with other parking solutions not provided in the RD.

This information should be provided as part of any application under section 35C of the SDPWO Act. It would be assessed by the Coordinator-General as part of a separate change process under Part 4, Division 3A of the SDPWO Act. Consultation will be undertaken at that time to ascertain community views. (more on page 57)

The Legacy Way Project Team has advised it will provide more information on these studies and the consultation process once it is finalised.

Northern Link Consultation Team
Email: northernlinkeis@skm.com.au
Telephone: 1800 692 333 (freecall)

In the interests of government openness and transparency we look forward to genuine community consultation in relation to the parking plan.

Coordinator-General’s Report on Project Changes December 2010 HERE

Latest ‘Save ANZAC Park’ News

On 9 January 2011 a supporter of Friends of ANZAC Park Toowong wrote to BCC Legacy Way requesting information on how BCC intends to conduct ‘community consultation’ and how it will be ‘fully exploring other options’, to satisfy the Coordinator-General’s imposed off-street construction workforce car parking, as instructed in the Coordinator-General’s Report on Project Changes December 2010.

We now wait for a response to this enquiry and will update you on this blog, facebook, and email of the outcome of this enquiry. Until then please visit our facebook page for bits and pieces - take the link on the right.

Let’s hope that Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, Deputy Mayor Graham Quirk, and Councillor Peter Matic will finally realize what the true meaning of ‘community’ is, as a positive outcome of the Brisbane floods, and with the Australian Army in town, at the moment, they might even find out what ANZAC stands for.

Best Wishes

Friends of ANZAC Park Toowong wish everyone the best with the flood clean up. If you need assistance please just contact us and ask, and we will spread the word and see how we can help you.

The Coronation Drive Bike/Walk Way may be underwater but ANZAC Park circuit track is still there for your exercising needs.

LOCAL FOOTAGE (Regatta Hotel, Land Street, UQ) HERE

Floods - If anyone needs help

Supporters of Friends of ANZAC Park Toowong (and their families and friends). If anyone needs help - Moving furniture, sandbagging, or a dry place to stay, let us know and we will spread the word around.

Contact by email: saveanzacpark@gmail.com

Good luck and stay safe. If in doubt, move out!

(We have a number of offers including the offer of a van and storage space for anyone who needs to save their stuff)

Image: Yesterday Regatta Hotel 5pm 11 January 2011- now flooded

Make Love, Not War!

Any attempt by BCC Legacy Way to reconsider destroying ANZAC Park Toowong by lodging, with the Coordinator-General, another Application for evaluation of environmental effects of proposed change (State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971, Part 4, Division 3A, Section 35C) proposing again to locate a construction workforce car park within ANZAC Park, will be taken as an Act of Aggression by the local community and we will continue to strenuously defend our park. We've done it before and we'll do it again!

Coordinator-General’s Report on Project Changes December 2010 HERE

Image: Legacy Way Changed Project Western Worksite opposite ANZAC Park Toowong. Page 41, BCC Application for Project Change October 2010 HERE (with added ANZAC Park Defence Forces)

Elusive document, Further Information to Application for Project Change November 2010 HERE

Transcity Legacy Way Website

Transcity Website HERE

Project Updates - Sign up for Email and SMS updates on Legacy Way's Website

"Now, what was that Coordinator-General’s pesky imposed condition for construction workforce car parking, again?"

Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and Cr Peter Matic, it’s in the Coordinator-General’s (Former CG Colin Jensen now BCC CEO) Report released back on 23 April 2010 - Report evaluating the Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to section 35(3) of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971

Appendix 1 Schedule 3 – Imposed Conditions:

18(k) The construction workforce must not park in local streets. A dedicated and adequate construction workforce off-street parking area must be provided. All construction workforce vehicles must be directed to project construction workforce car parks. To avoid construction workforce car parking in local streets, shuttle transport between construction workforce car parks distant from a construction area must be provided for the duration of the period the construction area is in use.

18(l) Construction workforce car parks must be rehabilitated as quickly as is reasonable and practicable to a standard suitable for future use of a purpose preferred in this location under the area designation in City Plan 2000.

BCC Legacy Way's proposed construction workforce car park to be located within ANZAC Park was refused in the CG's Change Report 15/16 December 2010, but the imposed condition still must be satisfied. What would Transcity's Ghella Costruzioni think about a proposed construction workforce car park in their Medici Gardens in Florence?

Image: Postmodern deconstruction of Northern Link’s EIS Project Reference Typical Cross Section - Two Lane Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)

MEDIA: Westside News 4 January 2011 'Carpark site details kept quiet'

"BRISBANE City Council has declined to discuss the details of other sites they are investigating for a Northern Link tunnel construction car park." HERE

Coordinator-General’s Report on Project Changes December 2010 HERE
Page 51 and 57, Recommendation 1 advises the proponent to undertake community consultation on its parking strategy!

Also page 51 states, “Regardless of where parking is located, condition 11 (appendix 1) of this report requires compliance with noise limits to minimise disturbance...The parking location options should be considered individually and collectively, and assessed using criteria including community impacts, cost, suitability, opportunities and risk. Mitigation measures for risk and impacts should be considered.”