Brisbane City Council will go ahead with plans to develop the Howard Smith Wharves, despite legal action from local residents.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman today released blueprints for the detailed design stage of a parkland area.

Lizzie Stafford reports.

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TRANSCRIPT

The Council’s new plans show 80 per cent of the waterfront area will be turned into parklands.

There’ll be rockclimbing, barbecues, playgrounds, open lawns and possible lift and stair access to the top of the cliffs.

Campbell Newman, Lord Mayor: “Overall, we want this site to be opened up so that everybody in Brisbane can enjoy it.”

But despite the upbeat sales pitch, Council is facing strong opposition from locals.

They’ve threatened court action over the original plans, which included a multi-storey hotel.

While the Lord Mayor’s now agreed to modify that idea the concept, along with other commercial development on the site, is still on the drawing board.

Campbell Newman, Lord Mayor: “We have always said that we need to activate this site – we’re talking about a boutique hotel, we’re talking about restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries, bookshops down here.”

Residents, and local councillor David Hinchliffe, cracked out the champagne to celebrate the back-down though they’re still wary about over-development of the site.

The group that opposed the mayor’s inital plans for a 15,000 square metre hotel is telling any potential developer to think again.

The residents’ group wants to see all of the area kept for parklands.

Jane-Ann Juhasz, Lobby group spokesperson: “We’ve got lots of hotels in this town but we don’t have lots of fabulous cliffs so I think it would be a great pity for the people of Brisbane.”

Lizzie Stafford, QUT News.