NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE

Councillor Amanda COOPER, Chairman of the Neighbourhood Planning and Development Assessment Committee, moved, seconded by Councillor Vicki HOWARD, that the report of the meeting of that Committee held on 12 August 2014, be adopted.

Councillor COOPER: Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, at Committee last week, we had a development application. This is an application for 180 Viking Drive at Wacol in Councillor DICK's ward. So it's in Richlands Ward. This particular application was debated by Committee. I note Councillor SUTTON was unwell, so she was an apology, but the remaining members of the Committee were able to look at this application and felt that it was an excellent result for that particular site.

This is a preliminary approval and material change of use for a new warehouse building of nearly 6,300 square metres. It includes an office building, a vertical powder plant tower and car park. The company, Mapei, is Italian based. It doesn't sound very Italian but I am assured it is and that they have a base here in Brisbane at Archerfield. So they've outgrown that space, Madam Chair, and this will be their new premises. So great to see business being very successful in our fantastic city and looking to continue with Brisbane as a home base.

The site adjoins existing industry to the north, east and west and is in the Wacol Industrial Precinct under the Richlands Wacol Corridor Neighbourhood Plan. The site itself is currently vacant and sits just 300 metres from the railway station, just 180 metres form the Ipswich Motorway and Ipswich City Council is approximately 660 metres to the south. They made the right choice, Madam Chair, they stuck in Brisbane.

So as we heard at Committee last week, the nearest residential dwelling is about 320 metres to the north-west of the site and across the four-lane Ipswich Motorway. So that potential impact was very carefully considered by officers in their assessment. The application triggered the highest level of assessment under City Plan. It was impact assessable. Council issued an information request on 19 March asking for further information on restrictions relating to operational airspace, how that would be complied with, how landscaping would occur, including what shade trees for the car park area would be planted. A complete list of the dangerous goods that would be stored and used on site.

The applicant responded on 10 April and the application then proceeded to public notification. There was a 15 business-day period from 15 May to 6 June and during this period, Council did not receive a single formal submission. In fact, we received no informal submissions either. The local councillor was asked for his comment. He provided feedback to the officers on 24 February saying that he supported the application provided it complies with Council's requirements.

The application triggered referral to the Department of Environment and Heritage as concurrence agency who approved an ERA (Environmentally Relevant Activities) permit with conditions that require mitigation of any potential air and noise emissions. Archerfield Airport also was requested to provide comment and they noted in a letter dated 26 March that the proposed development would not impact on the airport's activities. QUU (Queensland Urban Utilities) set conditions in relation to water and sewer.

This application will include an innovative world first, as I understand, vertical powder plant with a maximum height of 33 metres above ground level. The warehouse is just under 13 metres above ground level and the office building in front of the warehouse is proposed to be two storeys, including a rec (recreation) room, a laboratory, training room and maintenance room. There will be 80 car spaces provided on site, including 21 for disability parking and this is certainly in excess of requirements under the industry provisions.

The assessment team were presented with a number of planning challenges for this application, not just the use. But also the flooding from Sandy Creek. So while not subject to flooding in January 2011, the flooding from Sandy Creek meant officers had to condition to ensure that minimum flood immunity levels would be met by this application. The application also provided a site-based stormwater quality management plan to show compliance with the water quality guidelines.

There are a number of trees protected under NALL (Natural Assets Local Law) that were impacted by the development and the officers had to consider those in their assessment. So as we heard at Committee last week, nine trees will be removed, Melaleucas, I believe, in the north-east corner of the site. There's a specific condition in place to ensure that there will be either an offset paid or replanting will occur on an approved site at a ratio of three to one.

The company will be producing plastics and adhesives on the site and will see a development of approximately $13.5 million with 15 employees. The tower itself, being vertical, means the applicant will save about $0.5 million each year on electricity by using two and a half times less electricity than their pervious factory. So certainly a great outcome. The plant will also cut on cleaning and maintenance costs due to the state-of-the-art design.

This facility will significantly increase production capabilities for Mapei who are a world leader in the production of adhesives and chemical products for the building sector. I also am advised the plant will accommodate the head of operations for the company in Australia. I'd particularly like to thank the officers for their hard work on this application. It's an excellent outcome and certainly shows that people are very keen to continue to invest in our beautiful city. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Chairman: Further debate. I will put the motion.
Upon being submitted to the Chamber by the Chairman, the motion for the adoption of the report of the Neighbourhood Planning and Development Assessment Committee was declared carried on the voices.
The report as follows
ATTENDANCE:
Councillor Amanda Cooper (Chairman), Councillor Vicki Howard (Deputy Chairman), and Councillors Helen Abrahams, Geraldine Knapp and Andrew Wines.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE:
Councillor Shayne Sutton.

A DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION UNDER SUSTAINABLE PLANNING ACT 2009: PRELIMINARY APPROVAL UNDER SECTION 241 FOR CARRYING OUT BUILDING WORK AND A DEVELOPMENT PERMIT FOR MATERIAL CHANGE OF USE FOR THE PURPOSE OF INDUSTRY - SCHEDULE 2 AND ENVIRONMENTALLY RELEVANT ACTIVITY (CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING AND CHEMICAL STORAGE) – 180 VIKING DRIVE, WACOL - MAPEI AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

. The Team Manager, Planning Services Team South, Development Assessment Branch, City Planning and Sustainability Division, reports that a development application has been submitted by DTS Group QLD Pty Ltd, on behalf of Mapei Australia Pty Ltd and was properly made on 19 February 2014, as follows:

Development aspects:	Carrying out building work – preliminary approval (under section 241 of the Sustainable Planning Act 2009) (SPA) Material change of use – development permit (under section 243 of SPA)
General description of proposal:	- A new warehouse building with a gross floor area (GFA) of 6,260 square metres and height of 12.86 metres above ground level - Ancillary office building at the front of the proposed warehouse with a combined GFA of 1,435 square metres and a height of two storeys. This ancillary office building includes recreation, storage, mezzanine area, maintenance room, laboratory and training room - A vertical powder plant tower with a maximum height of 33 metres above ground level - An overall site cover of 6,874 square metres (42 per cent of the site area) - 80 onsite car parking spaces (two disabled spaces) - Plant operating hours 6.00 to 22.30 (five days per week)
Land in the ownership of:	Mapei Australia Pty Ltd
Address of the site:	180 Viking Drive, Wacol
Described as:	Lot 4 on SP255899
Containing an area of:	16,290 square metres.

2. The subject site has frontage to Viking Drive and is currently vacant. The site adjoins existing industry and warehouse uses to the north, east and west. Under the Brisbane City Plan 2000 (City Plan) the site is included within the General Industry Area and the Richlands Wacol Corridor Neighbourhood Plan, Wacol Industrial Precinct. The Wacol Industrial Precinct supports high impact industry where it achieves the required separation from sensitive land uses and can demonstrate mitigation of environmental impacts.

- Module 4 – Environmentally relevant activities (section 4.1)

- Module 12 – Contaminated Land (section 12.1).
9. The proposal was subject to impact assessment. Public Notification was carried out for a period of 15-business days between 15 May and 6 June 2014. The Notice of Compliance was lodged and no formal or informal submissions objecting to the proposal were received.
10. The Richlands Ward Councillor, Councillor Milton Dick, was notified of the application by email on 21 February 2014. On 24 February 2014, Councillor Dick emailed a response advising that he had no additional comments regarding the proposed development provided all compliance issues are adhered to.
11. The application was referred to Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDIP) as a concurrence agency for the following technical matters:

- Environmentally Relevant Activities (ERA) - Chemical Manufacturing (Schedule 7, Table 2, Item 1)

- Contaminated Land – (Schedule 7, Table 2, Item 23) – (A site identified on the Contaminated Land Register).
12. The Department of Environment and Heritage issued an approval for an ERA (Chemical Manufacturing) through the above concurrence response process. This approval includes conditions that mitigate potential noise, dust and contamination issues. The concurrence agency development conditions include the requirement for investigation and mitigation of potential contaminated land issues.
13. Queensland Urban Utilities set conditions in relation to the connection of water and sewerage services to the proposal.
14. Archerfield Airport Corporation has provided written advice that the proposed development and tower will not impact on the operations of Archerfield Airport or protected airspace.
15. The Team Manager advises that relevant reports have been obtained to address the assessment criteria and decision process prescribed by SPA appropriately justifying the proposal and outlining reasonable and relevant conditions of approval.
16. The Team Manager recommended that the application be approved subject to the approved plans and conditions included in the Development Approval Package submitted on file and marked Attachment A. The Committee agrees unanimously.
17. RECOMMENDATION:
() That it be and is hereby resolved that whereas—
(a) A development application was properly made on 19 February 2014, to the Council pursuant to section 260 of the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA), as follows:

Development aspects:	Carrying out building work – preliminary approval (under section 241 of SPA) Material change of use – development permit (under section 243 of SPA)
General description of proposal:	- A new warehouse building with a Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 6,260 square metres and height of 12.86 metres above ground level - Ancillary office building at the front of the proposed warehouse with a combined GFA of 1,435 square metres and a height of two storeys. This ancillary office building includes recreation, storage, mezzanine area, maintenance room, laboratory and training room - A vertical powder plant tower with a maximum height of 33 metres above ground level - An overall site cover of 6,874 square metres (42 per cent of the site area) - 80 onsite car parking spaces (two disabled spaces) - Plant operating hours 6.00 to 22.30 (five days per week)
Land in the ownership of:	Mapei Australia Pty Ltd
Address of the site:	180 Viking Drive, Wacol
Described as:	Lot 4 on SP255899
Containing an area of:	16,290 square metres.

(b) The Council is required to assess the application pursuant to Chapter 6, Part 5, Division 2, section 314 of the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (the Act) and decide the application under Division 3, Subdivision 1, section 318 and Subdivision 2 of the Act;

1. the applicant has demonstrated that the proposal does not cause conflict with the State planning policies, planning regulatory provisions or South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031;

2. the proposal is consistent with the relevant provisions within the Brisbane City Plan 2000;

3. the proposal facilitates the growth of the city’s economy and employment through the provision of industry;

4. the proposal will not create adverse amenity or environmental impacts on the surrounding area;

5. the proposal does not have an adverse impact on the nearest sensitive land uses (residential zoned land) located 320 metres from the site; and

6. the development can be accommodated within the existing essential infrastructure networks;
(d) Accordingly considers that were the reasonable and relevant conditions submitted on file and marked Attachment A, imposed on the development, it would be appropriate that the proposed development be carried out on the subject land; and
(e) Issues a Brisbane City Council Infrastructure Charges Notice for the development pursuant to the Act and the Brisbane Adopted Infrastructure Charges Resolution (No.4) 2014, for the transport, community purposes and stormwater trunk infrastructure networks.
() Whereas the Council determines as in (i) hereof, THE COUNCIL APPROVES THE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION referred to above and subject to the conditions in the Development Approval Package, submitted on file and marked Attachment A, and directs that:

(a) the applicant be advised of the decision;

(b) the applicant be given the Infrastructure Charges Notice for Community Purposes, Stormwater and Transport;

(c) the Central SEQ Distributor-Retailer Authority be advised of the decision;

(d) the concurrence agency, the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, be advised of the decision;

(e) the Archerfield Airport Corporation, as advice agency, be advised of the decision; and

(f) the Councillor of the Richlands Ward, Councillor Milton Dick, be advised of the decision.

ADOPTED

ENVIRONMENT, PARKS AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

Councillor Matthew BOURKE, Chairman of the Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee, moved, seconded by Councillor Fiona KING, that the report of the meeting of that Committee held on 12 August 2014, be adopted.

Councillor BOURKE: Thanks very much, Madam Chairman. Madam Chairman, just before I get to the formal Committee report, there's just a couple of items that I want to touch on relating to my portfolio. I had the pleasure on Sunday afternoon to attend the opening ceremony of the International Horticultural Congress which is being held in Brisbane at the moment. It's running all week. There are 3,000 delegates, as I said in the answer to my question earlier this afternoon, who have come to Brisbane to be a part of that congress.

It is, as I said earlier, the second time only in the nearly 150 year history of this association that it's being held in the southern hemisphere. So we're very privileged to be able to secure this event through the help of Brisbane Marketing and numerous other organisations by putting forward a winning bid to have that event here. We are using the opportunity to highlight, as I said earlier, Roma Street, South Bank, other parklands across the city with guided tours and special tours during the week.

There was this morning a special function put on up at Roma Street for members of the congress who could attend and obviously get some insight into how the park's run and some of the initiatives that we're delivering in that space. So if any councillors see individuals walking round with a green lanyard on or an orange lanyard on, they're probably some of the 3,000 people who are visiting our city. So make sure that they feel welcome, make sure if they look a little bit lost that you're providing directions to where they need to be.

Madam Chairman, just turning very quickly to one other item before I get to my report. I am very pleased to announce, Madam Chairman that consultation opens tomorrow, 20 August, for the City Botanic Garden Master Plan. Madam Chairman, as the Chamber might remember, this document is being done as part of our Land Conservation Management Plan, which is our legal requirement through the State legislation to help protect and preserve the City Botanic Gardens going forward.

So this is a copy of the document here, Madam Chairman, consultation will be open from 20 August to 26 September. It is a very detailed document, Madam Chairman, it looks at some opportunities in the short term, opportunities in the longer term on how we can not only enhance the gardens but also bring back to the gardens some of those heritage or lost history items, Madam Chairman. It's had a very potted history and there is a wonderful double page in the middle of the document, Madam Chairman, which lists out from 1820 through to today the various aspects and the various, I guess, elements of the gardens.

There was days when there was a zoo there and I'm sure some councillors in this place would probably remember the zoo. Not you, Councillor COOPER, you would probably be too young to remember the zoo at the City Botanical Gardens. But, Madam Chairman, it's played a very rich and a very valuable part in the history of our city. This document will aim to hopefully protect and preserve the gardens into the future so it can continue to provide a valuable space.

We know that there's 9,000 people moving into our CBD over the next 20 years and the pressures on the gardens are going to be increased with those additional residents. But, Madam Chairman, we shouldn't be afraid of the challenges; we should be looking to this document and to the opportunities that are presented by these changes, Madam Chairman. So I encourage all councillors to go online, it will be live at midnight tonight, hard copies will be available as well. I encourage everyone to get involved and have their say.

We do have a community reference group, Madam Chairman, that have been working diligently behind the scenes and I want to pay tribute and thank them for all their hard work up to this point. Madam Chairman, turning to the Committee report, there was one item on the Committee report from last week which was a Committee presentation by a Council officer. Madam Chairman, the Senior Arboricultural Coordinator, Madam Chairman, who provided a Committee presentation on that very interesting topic, Phellinus Noxius, Madam Chairman, which I'm sure the Chamber is well aware of.

It was a detailed presentation and I like to bring these presentations through on a regular basis because the work that our Council officers do, leading the world when it comes to the research and the ability to deal with Phellinus Noxius, Madam Chairman, is something that we as an organisation should be very proud of. Because we've saved or managed to be able to save a number of very historical, very significant trees right across the city.

The officers were able to provide an update on a tree in particular, down at Sandgate, where over the last six years; we've seen a marked improvement in the health of that tree since our first intervention methods. Our ongoing research and the work that we're doing in collaboration with international partners, Madam Chairman, means that we are leading the way and we should celebrate the good work that our Council officers do in this space.

Chairman: Further debate. I will put the motion.

A COMMITTEE PRESENTATION – UPDATE TO PHELLINUS NOXIUS
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

1. Keith Foster, Senior Coordinator Arboriculture, Branch Manager’s Office, Asset Services, Field Services Group, Brisbane Infrastructure Division, attended the meeting to provide an update on biological control measures for the Phellinus noxius fungus, which attacks the roots and can internally ringbark trees. He provided the information below.

- Trichoderma reesei

Photographs of Trichoderma reesei and Trichoderma harzianum colonising Phellinus noxius in petri dishes during the trial were displayed. During propagation Trichoderma harzianum, a locally occurring species of this fungus, proved the most effective.

FIELD SERVICES COMMITTEE

Councillor David McLACHLAN, Chairman of the Field Services Committee, moved, seconded by Councillor Norm WYNDHAM, that the report of that Committee held on 12 August 2014, be adopted.

Chairman: Is there any debate?

Councillor McLACHLAN: Thank you, Madam Chairman. Just briefly, the item before us at item A was another in the series of presentations coming before our Committee on the various branches of the Field Services Group. Last week we had a presentation on the Urban Amenities Branch’s 2013-14 achievements. Very good outcomes as well, a great opportunity to remind the Field Services Committee about the important work that's undertaken within this group on behalf of the Field Services Group.

Some of the specific things that were mentioned which are probably not covered by budget debates includes the reduction in lost-time injuries by 20 per cent, reduction in WorkCover costs by 35 per cent in the context of delivering some significant achievements in the course of the year. All of which all councillors in this place are aware of, as these are the teams that we see most in our wards, delivering various programs to repair and deliver our parks and gardens, horticultural maintenance, the Urban Response Teams that do the clean ups, the stormwater gulley cleansing, graffiti removal and various other cultural services.

So this was a good presentation and some very good outcomes as presented by the Urban Amenities Branch in Field Services Group. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Chairman: Further debate. I will put the motion.
Upon being submitted to the Chamber, the motion for the adoption of the report of the Field Services Committee was declared carried on the voices.
The report read as follows
ATTENDANCE:
Councillor David McLachlan (Chairman), Councillor Norm Wyndham (Deputy Chairman), and Councillors Peter Cumming, Kim Marx and Ian McKenzie.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE:
Councillor Nicole Johnston.

A COMMITTEE PRESENTATION – URBAN AMENITIES 2013-14 ACHIEVEMENTS

90/2014-15

1. Matt Anderson, Branch Manager, Urban Amenities, Field Services Group, Brisbane Infrastructure Division, attended the meeting to provide information on the achievements of the Urban Amenities Branch for the 2013-14 financial year. Mr Anderson provided the information below.

2. The Urban Amenities Branch structure consists of six work units covering, five regional delivery areas in parks and gardens, urban response and arboriculture, maintenance services in urban and road cleansing, mosquito and pest services, and signs.
3. The overall achievements of the Urban Amenities Branch from July 2013 until June 2014 were outlined. The highlights included:

- road cleansing services benchmarked;

- implementation of a structured business improvement program;

- 20 per cent reduction in lost time injuries;

- 35 per cent reduction in WorkCover costs;

- programmed works delivered.

4. The Regional Operations work unit delivers parks and gardens horticultural maintenance, Urban Response teams, stormwater gully cleansing, graffiti removal and arboricultural services.
5. The presenter outlined the achievements of this work unit from July 2013 to June 2014. The highlights included:

- removal of 142,000 square metres of graffiti;

- over 147,000 stormwater gully cleansing services, and over 41,000 parks services conducted;

- acquisition of new equipment to enhance operations;

- delivery of a $600,000 Landscape Rejuvenation project to target high profile sites across the city;

- delivery of a project to improve cleanliness of park bins in over 165 high profile parks;

- delivery of significant planting works in support of the all abilities playground in City Botanic Gardens.
6. The achievements of the Maintenance Services work unit from July 2013 to June 2014 were outlined. The presenter noted that the significant achievements included a 20 per cent reduction in road sweeper maintenance, introduction of iPads to field-based pest teams, and the revised delivery of a bus stop cleansing program and ground-based mosquito services program.

7. The other notable achievements of Maintenance Services include:

- swept 103,528 kilometres of roads;

- pressure-washed 614,868 square metres of public space;

- replaced or installed 30,067 signs;

- serviced and cleaned 5,700 bus stops;

- removed 2,800 tonnes of waste from roads;

- trialled new technology to enhance service delivery; and

- conducted 37,500 cleansing services of traffic islands.
8. Following a number of questions from the Committee, the Chairman thanked Mr Anderson for his informative presentation.
9. RECOMMENDATION:
THAT COUNCIL NOTE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE ABOVE REPORT.

ADOPTED

BRISBANE LIFESTYLE COMMITTEE

Councillor Krista ADAMS, Chairman of the Brisbane Lifestyle Committee, moved, seconded by Councillor Andrew WINES, that the report of that Committee held on 12 August 2014, be adopted.

Chairman: Is there any debate?

Councillor ADAMS: Thank you, Madam Chair. A couple of exciting things that have happened and are coming up before I get to my actual Committee report from last week. This week we are leading into seniors' week. We had a very, very successful Lord Mayor's Senior Gala Cabaret on Sunday afternoon, which I know several councillors here attended. We had over 1,000 people came along to hear the wonderful talent that we have in our senior residents in Brisbane.

We had quite an eclectic mix of performers, as Councillor KNAPP pointed out to me today. We had the Happy Dancing Group which was six female Chinese dancers which did a wonderful performance with fans. We had Peter Vance who is actually a blind senior gentleman who did a fantastic version of Feeling Good. Actually pulled out his cane and twirled it above his head as he was actually performing, which was great to see. The first magician that we've had at a gala cabaret who was very talented and a bit of a comedian himself as well.

So this was the culmination of our 10 master classes. The time that the seniors spent with their mentors, I think they made it very clear that they loved it. We had Simon Gallaher, Rachael Beck, Angela Toohey, and Gregory Moore; just to name a couple of mentors there, performing on Sunday as well. It was a fantastic platform for these seniors to be involved. It now means they can't be involved in the concert next year but I can tell you the list of people that were there last year can't wait to get back in so that they can be involved again. So looking forward to it next year. If you haven't been yet, I strongly suggest, councillors, to get along and see the talent that we've got.

Another exciting opening coming up this weekend, of course, as I mentioned earlier in question time today is the Coopers Plains Library. So we have it's the official launch this Saturday morning with the LORD MAYOR. We have a very special event happening which we haven't done at any other library; we do like to make each of our libraries just a little bit different. This usually focuses around the children's corner and the theme that we've got.

So in the playground out the back—which I have to thank Councillor GRIFFITHS for his Ward Footpath and Parks Trust Fund contribution to the playground upgrades to link with the library refurbishment. We are getting the installation of a—and this is a contradiction of terms—six foot tall gnome. So a gnome that is actually a lot taller than me. As I said, contradiction in terms. But an art installation being done by a local artist. Again, being shared between the refurbishment and the Ward Footpath and Parks Trust Fund.

Councillors interjecting.

Councillor ADAMS: We're opening a competition—

Chairman: Order.

Councillor ADAMS: We're opening a competition at 10am on Sunday morning called Name The Gnome. So anybody who's a resident in Brisbane can come and join. You can get online for the event or enter an online form that will be made on our corporate website. Or if you're there on the day, you can pop your name in the box. I'm sure I'll have some very interesting discussions with Councillor GRIFFITHS about what we'll end up naming the gnome.

So if you have a vision of what Ronald McDonald kind of looks like in the playgrounds, the big Ronald McDonalds that the kids run over, that type of thing in a gnome. It does feed back into the theme that we have in the children's library as well. So it's going to be a great morning. But after Saturday morning at 10 o'clock, if you have an idea for the name of the gnome at the Coopers Plains Library, please give us some ideas. It'll be a great way to get the community involved and make it a little bit more personal connection to the local library as well.

Onto the presentation that we saw last week, Madam Chair. My Community Directory is one that we are promoting very heavily across Brisbane City Council. It revolves around our community and everybody that works within our communities across a raft of different avenues. It's about making sure that people in Brisbane, residents and even the South East Queensland corner, My Community Directory, I must say, goes wider, right across Queensland, know about the services in their community that are available.

So it's a community-centred portal which is produced in partnership with the Community Information Support Service. It's a one-stop-shop, an online community directory that contains up-to-date information on community services and organisations. It makes it very easy for people to find organisations or services by searching and viewing under service headlines and categories. It's available to ward officers, community organisations, businesses, residents, anybody. It also has a link from Council's website.

So there are a lot of benefits, too, for our community organisations in this one. It assists them with their clients so they can use it as a referral system as well. It's very comprehensive and as we know with any corporate website or any directory, it's only as relevant as up-to-date it is. The beauty about this is if you are on there as a community service, it is up to you to keep your information up-to-date. So it is something that is up-to-date because the community groups keep their information up-to-date.

We've been doing some work with the Endeavour Foundation; the staff there currently stated that they can spend up to 30 minutes trying to research information in areas that they need, whereas they can get onto My Community Directory and in less than two minutes they can have the information they want, they can interact with the clients and it's far more productive and efficient. On top of that they just received a grant in the last six months.

There's actually an aspect there for those who have less ability in literacy or even in mobility of your hands to be able to use the swipes, if you're using it on a tablet. It's a very accessible website to use which is a fantastic thing for those most vulnerable in our community that want to access these services as well.

So in the previous financial period, we've seen a 48 per cent increase in the numbers of services listed. We're averaging around 34,182 visits per month in the Greater Brisbane area, which is fantastic for the entire portal. You can walk through using a map; you can go to your local area and find out what's local as well.

I think it goes to show why the Access My Community was a finalist in the Premier's Awards for Open Data in December 2013. It is a great directory, I encourage all councillors to get online and have a look at it, make sure their ward staff know about it as well. It can be a great tool to use if residents come to see you about services in their local area. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Chairman: Further debate. I will put the motion.
Upon being submitted to the Chamber by the Chairman, the motion for the adoption of the report of the Brisbane Lifestyle Committee was declared carried on the voices.
The report read as follows
ATTENDANCE:
Councillor Krista Adams (Chairman), Councillor Andrew Wines (Deputy Chairman), and Councillors Steve Griffiths, Vicki Howard, Steven Huang and Victoria Newton.

A COMMITTEE PRESENTATION – MY COMMUNITY DIRECTORY

91/2014-15

1. Vanessa Fabre, Acting Healthy and Vibrant Communities Manager, Connected Communities, Brisbane Lifestyle Division, attended the meeting to provide a presentation on My Community Directory, an online, web-based community services directory that is produced through a partnership with Community Information Support Services (CISS), a not-for-profit organisation. She provided the information below.

2. Community Information Support Services are based at the Maida Lilley Community Centre in Fortitude Valley. The CEO of CISS, Brentyn Parkin, has been the passionate driver behind building this comprehensive, online, information tool of community services and organisations for government, businesses and the community over the past three to four years.
3. My Community Directory is best described as a community-centred response to the need for up-to-date information about community services and organisations.
4. Council has committed an annual membership to deliver the directory for a two-year period from 14 February 2013 to 13 February 2015, at which point Council will assess the benefits of extending the membership. As a member of My Community Directory, Council can view a real-time service database of all My Community Directory listed services located in the region straight from the My Community Directory dashboard. It is simple and up-to-date because community organisations that enter their details remain in control of the information and can make changes as they occur.
5. One of the useful tools in the directory is the service map. This resource provides the community and Council officers with an easy way to identify the various community-service providers and community groups based in a particular suburb at a glance.
6. The Brisbane Community Directory allows visitors to easily find organisations and services by: searching and viewing services by category; viewing individual listing information and contact details for each service; directly contacting individual organisations from the listing by email or linking to their website; and accessing demographic statistics by clicking within the ‘grey’ Council boundary. The website can also be searched by categories.
7. The presenter then showed the Committee through a short demonstration of the directory.
8. Achievements for My Community Directory in 2013-14 include:

- 48 per cent increase in the number of services listed for Brisbane

- 3,665 services currently displayed as at 7 July 2014 for the Brisbane region

- 410,194 visits originating from within the Greater Brisbane area

- 34,182 visits per month

- 976,261 pages viewed

- 81,355 page views per month.
9. In September 2013, My Community Directory provided a new way to measure and interpret the website statistics, where Council officers can access the member dashboard to analyse, search, visit and service data, to make informed decisions regarding planning and community needs. One helpful data set is the ability to view the top ten ranking of services that are being searched. Since the inception of the ranking, the top three services have been: Information and Counselling, Health Services and Disability Services.
10. The benefits for community organisations are:

- comprehensive directory of services

- accurate up-to-date information

- grant awareness

- access to local services

- partnerships between organisations.

My Community Directory is currently being trialled by staff at five Endeavour Foundation sites across Brisbane and Redlands to achieve cost and time saving benefits when searching for information on activities and services. By reducing the time required to locate information there is a potential to make interactions with clients and stakeholders more productive and effective.
11. The Brisbane Community Directory is being used by a range of Council business units as a searching and planning tool, as well as to deliver community engagement and provide information.
12. The presenter described examples of the various areas of Council that use the directory and the reasons that it is used.
13. ‘Access My Community’ is an innovative online resource that was developed in conjunction with Westside Community Services through funding from Council’s Access and Inclusion Partnership grant program. It provides a mapping tool, focusing on people with low literacy and intellectual disabilities, to ‘walk through your local community’, and see what services and activities are located nearby.
14. ‘Access My Community’ allows My Community Directory and local facilities information to be overlayed on a map within the Brisbane City Council area. The presenter explained that the directory has begun to display new data-sets that have been provided by councils, such as parks, swimming pools, barbeques and even boat ramps to provide information that helps improve social inclusion outcomes for all residents.
15. The future improvements for My Community Directory include:

- development of a staff training package for Council officers

- continued promotion of the Brisbane Community Directory on Council’s website and to community organisations

- continued growth in service and organisation listings

- enhanced use of the email broadcast feature to target communication and information

- continued improvements in reporting and analysis

- development of event listing functionality

- mobile application for directory.

16. Following a number of questions from the Committee, the Chairman thanked Ms Fabre for her informative presentation.
17. RECOMMENDATION:
THAT COUNCIL NOTE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE ABOVE REPORT.

ADOPTED

FINANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE

Councillor Julian SIMMONDS, Chairman of the Finance, Economic Development and Administration Committee, moved, seconded by Councillor Angela OWEN-TAYLOR, that the report of that Committee held on 12 August 2014, be adopted.

Chairman: Is there any debate?

Councillor SIMMONDS: Yes, thank you, Madam Chairman. I had the pleasure, Just before I move to the report, I had the pleasure last week of meeting on the LORD MAYOR's behalf with the Honourable Mike Reynolds, ex-Labor State Minister, but we don't hold that against him because he's also a good local council man as well, being the ex-deputy mayor of Townsville. He was specifically talking to us about his involvement in the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Medical Ships Australia.

So this is a charity that's been operating since 2010 and brings medical care to impoverished PNG (Papua New Guinea) communities via an old fishing vessel that they have. It's based out of Townsville and they take it over to PNG with volunteer medical staff. They take it up the various rivers and tributaries of PNG to find these impoverished communities and then spend some time providing basic medical care which isn't available to them.

They've just signed on for a brand new, larger boat. It's an ex-charter tour boat. It can carry some 100 staff and includes its own dental clinic and facilities for lectures and the like. They've just signed this lease and it's going to significantly expand their operations. Anyway, they're currently undertaking a public awareness tour along the east coast; they're taking the boat into various ports. They will be in Brisbane from 9 to 15 September.

I tell the Chamber this because it's a very worthy charity to which we should give our support. Time is short so we are looking to pull together in a very short period of time a civic reception for those volunteers when they are docked in Brisbane and we are hopeful of getting that together. But also Mike has extended an invitation to all councillors who wish to tour the ship while it's here in Brisbane. If you'd like to take that up, please let me know because it is a wonderful charity and wonderful work they provide, all off the back of volunteers.

The other thing I just wanted to give an update to the Chamber about was the BaSE (Business and System Efficiency) project. I know how eager the Chamber is for updates on this particular item. The Chamber would be aware that we have recently been talking about significant testing that's been underway for the release 2a which includes the new payroll system. This has now been activated; this week will be the second week of the payroll system in full operation. Last week, all pays were processed through the new payroll, the SAP payroll system. All has gone very well.

Councillors interjecting.

Councillor SIMMONDS: We had a small hiccup with the awards for the councillors' payslip—

Chairman: Order.

Councillor SIMMONDS: But considering there are some 7,500 employees with numerous awards, this has been a remarkably good result.

So my update is not by any means to say that all the work is done. There is still a lot of hard work ahead of this project. But it was more to acknowledge this milestone within the Chamber and to thank very much the many staff who are working on this particular project and have worked on it significantly over the last year and a half. A lot of those officers who have been seconded from their standard duties in Council to work on this BaSE project, with the finalisation of this release, which is the most significant of the three, will now return to their standard roles and leave the BaSE project.

So I wanted to take this opportunity to thank them very much for the hard work and the way that they have approached the job. I did have the opportunity to address them on Friday and I tried to point out to them that while a new IT (information technology) system can seem to some people quite a dry thing, that what they have in fact done is set this Council up with a very firm foundation going forward to continue to deliver the services that we need to provide to ratepayers. That as a local councillor, I am very grateful for their efforts. Because through their efforts, they have saved money on the back-of-house operations which can now be reinvested into front-line services.

They have, through their efforts, provided better resources for the front-line services, such as mobile devices, which is going to allow them to better deliver for residents. They should be rightfully proud of those efforts to improve services for Brisbane residents.

Madam Chairman, finally, the Committee had a presentation on the Brunswick Street Mall last week. I have spoken previously about the success of that redevelopment and I know other councillors are keen to speak on it. So I will hand the floor over to them. Thank you.

Chairman: Further debate. Councillor HOWARD.

Councillor HOWARD: Thank you, Madam Chairman. Well of course, Madam Chairman, I couldn't but stand to support this wonderful upgrade of the Brunswick Street Mall. The presentation of course highlighted the tremendous amount of work done by Council officers, in consultation with the local businesses, to ensure the objectives of the refurbishment of the mall were met. Indeed they have been, Madam Chairman.

Those objectives were to rejuvenate the mall and improve the surfacing, to improve the functional space for formal events, to promote the space for congregating and socialising, to activate the day and night-time economy and to promote and unlock private investment. The construction was compacted into six months. That's a tremendous effort just in itself, Madam Chairman. With weekly newsletters and face-to-face liaison with the businesses, to deliver the upgrade in the quickest and least disruptive manner.

While there is always some pain during this process, there will be ultimate gain for the businesses with a positive future for day-time businesses in our valley. The unique public artworks were created by Sandra Selig and Jennifer Marchant. They celebrate the energy and vitality of Fortitude Valley. It's the diverse fabric of the mall which attracts everyone from musicians to diners, to shoppers and it also recognises the important creative industries which populate and enhance the Fortitude Valley area.

The opening celebrations saw live music performances, breakdancing, circus and street art as well as many street performances. The hula-hoop lessons brought back many memories and my granddaughter particularly enjoyed creating huge bubbles with the buckets of soap suds and the fun activities available for all ages. Madam Chairman, the fun continues this weekend with Valley Fiesta. I encourage everyone to come down and enjoy a great weekend of live music and to showcase our local businesses and of course our wonderful mall upgrade.

I'd just like to mention one of the traders, Monique Gregory, who is the owner of the Trash Monkey store and I think that she's encapsulated what a lot of people have said to me about the mall. “We understand not everyone is happy with the mall. Not everyone wants to see change. We need to keep our local people employed and see some life injected back into the precinct in the daytime.”

She goes on to say: “Rome wasn't built in a day and we know we can't expect miracles overnight. This is the best chance for us to showcase the creative precinct that we are. What looks great to some will become a kaleidoscope of colour this weekend for Valley Fiesta and it's free, so no reason not to attend.”

Monique is just one of the many fabulous people who are part of the Fortitude Valley community and I look forward to joining her to celebrate this weekend.

Madam Chairman, the upgrade is the result of two years of consultation with Valley traders that began in May 2012 and is a positive for the future of the Valley and its businesses. I thank Councillor SIMMONDS and Council officers for their ongoing commitment to delivering a precinct that can unlock economic benefits for the whole city of Brisbane. Thank you.

Chairman: Further debate? Councillor WINES?

Councillor WINES: Thank you, Madam Chairman. I rise in support of item A. What a fantastic outcome it was. I took the opportunity to head down to the formal launch on my way to the wonderful RNA Exhibition and while I was there I really did admire the great pieces of public art that really do engage and open the space.

While we were there, there was 3D chalk artwork being made on the ground but also some ice sculptures, and one thing I always appreciate about art or I am increasingly appreciative of about art is that it seems to those of us who don't do art that it's a gentle and subtle thing, yet while I was watching it there was a man hacking at a piece of ice with a chainsaw. But he did have a skill and it was turning out the way he had intended it to do as a treble clef.

Brisbane is the only city—

Chairman: Councillor WINES sorry?

Councillor WINES: Yes.

Chairman: Did you—what are you speaking on because you were talking about—I thought you were talking about the Ekka?

Councillor WINES: The Brunswick Street Mall upgrade as well as the public art item A and it was the public street art that—

Chairman: Okay.

Councillor WINES: —was a part of the—at the launch and it was included in the presentation. Thank you. So it was a treble clef.

The Brisbane City is the only city in this country that attempts to have three pedestrianised malls in such close proximity, and you can see this Council's support for those through the current rejuvenation project for Queen Street Mall, the Chinatown Mall upgrade that occurred some years ago, three or four years ago now, and now this, the Brunswick Street Mall, which is about attracting and bringing people in both day and night into what is a leading centre of this city, but it is also of a night time the premier entertainment district of Queensland and arguably one of the best in this country.

You can see that this investment in the area is about making that even more attractive to be in and for people to come and have a safe and enjoyable night out doing what is a legal activity, enjoying themselves in swinging hotspots of the evening.

I wanted to talk about the new pathways that were there. I am often assured that the old brick system of doing things was a neat and easy way for ladies to get their high heels trapped between the grooves. Well that is no more. Now it is a smooth and concrete surface that is much harder to get the stilettos caught in. I must take advice; I will admit I've never worn stilettos out in Brunswick Street.

So look it is fantastic—it really is. Go and have a look at the public art, it's fantastic. It's true that many of the bands that are represented in the art were famous before I was born, but that doesn't diminish their contribution to the city's art space. Please take the opportunity to go down and have a look at the upgrade, it really is fantastic, and it is one more example that this Council is investing in the inner-city and in the people of Brisbane.

Chairman: Further debate? DEPUTY MAYOR?

DEPUTY MAYOR: Yes, Madam Chairman, I rise to speak to item B, the Bushland Preservation Levy Report for the period ending June 2014.

I always enjoy seeing these reports come through and the report that came through to the Committee lists all of the bushland purchases over the years that have been made through the bushland levy.

As councillors would be aware, the bushland levy is something that people pay on their rates notice specifically for environmental purposes and also for the acquisition of parcels of bushland across the city to protect it for the future of our residents.

Apart from yourself, Madam Chairman, who has a large percentage of bushland in your ward, the Chandler Ward is a big beneficiary of this program. In the eastern suburbs, particularly in the suburb of Burbank, we've seen big investment by this Council and consecutive administrations on purchasing bushland to protect it as part of Council's conservation program.

So in my own ward since the program started there's been more than 880 hectares of land purchased by Council. As I said, a lot of that is in the suburb of Burbank and I recently wrote out to Burbank residents, only to discover that there were only 343 households in the suburb. I asked myself why are there so few residents in that area, and then I realised that's because we're buying all the land up in the suburb.

Every time a house comes on the market Council buys it and it's all part of connecting that bushland corridor all the way through. It joins in with the Redlands and Logan bushland corridors which is home to a large population of koalas and one that we want to see protected, one that's under threat, and also a range of other wildlife in particular, such as wallabies and a whole range of important Australian flora and fauna.

I would point out that this program was initiated back in 1990 by the Sallyanne Atkinson administration and is something that we're very proud of initiating and one that's been continued through successive administrations of both colours, and long may it enjoy bipartisan support. There's a lot of growth that will continue to occur in our city and so it's even more important that we purchase those green bushland areas to protect the greenbelts and green areas of our cities for the future—of our city for the future.

Chairman: Further debate? Councillor SIMMONDS want to wrap up? I'll put the motion.

Upon being submitted to the Chamber, the motion for the adoption of the Finance, Economic Development and Administration Committee was declared carried on the voices.
The report read as follows
ATTENDANCE:
Councillor Julian Simmonds (Chairman), Councillor Angela Owen-Taylor (Deputy Chairman); and Councillors Kim Flesser and Ryan Murphy.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE:
Councillors Fiona King and Shayne Sutton.

A COMMITTEE PRESENTATION – BRUNSWICK STREET MALL UPGRADE

92/2014-15

1. Shawn Day, Acting Economic Development Manager, City Planning and Economic Development, City Planning and Sustainability Division, attended the meeting to provide an update on the Brunswick Street Mall upgrade. Mr Day provided the information below.

2. The completed Brunswick Street Mall upgrade was launched on 9 and 10 August 2014. Construction was undertaken following extensive consultation with local businesses to identify the priorities for the upgrade.
3. A slide was shown that displayed images of how the mall was being used before the refurbishment commenced.
4. The objectives of the refurbishment of the mall were to:

- rejuvenate the mall and improve surfacing

- improve functional space for formal events

- promote the space for congregation and socialising

- activate the day and night time economy

- promote and unlock private investment.

5. The construction process commenced in January 2014 and was compacted into six months with practical completion by July 2014. This timeframe was identified in consultation with traders.
6. Engagement was undertaken with businesses throughout the construction process and liaison was provided face-to-face and in a weekly newsletter update. The weekly newsletters were provided to the impacted businesses as well as the surrounding precinct. Measures were put in place to notify the public that the mall remained opened.
7. Public art is a central feature of the refurbished Brunswick Street Mall. Two patterned roof structures have been suspended from eight poles to celebrate the energy and vitality of the Fortitude Valley.
8. The presenter discussed the benefits of the rejuvenation, including:

- the space being more functionally designed and capable of hosting events

- increasing interest in the vacant tenancies.
9. Live music performance, street performances, breakdancing, circus and street art were some of the activation events held. Images of these events were displayed.
10. The Brunswick Street Mall is an economic precinct that can unlock economic benefits for the city of Brisbane. The last side of the presentation showed images of how the space has evolved over time from the 1890s through to 2014.
11. The Chairman thanked Mr Day for his informative presentation.
12. RECOMMENDATION:
THAT COUNCIL NOTE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE ABOVE REPORT.

ADOPTED

B BUSHLAND PRESERVATION LEVY REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDED JUNE 2014

134/695/317/347

93/2014-15

13. The Divisional Manager, Organisational Services Division, provided the Committee with a report on expenditure for bushland purposes for the period ended June 2014.

14. The Bushland Preservation Levy Report is prepared on a quarterly basis in order to show the balance of funds held for environmental bushland purposes along with details of environmental bushland expenditure.
15. The Committee noted the information contained in the report (submitted on file) and that the balance of the funds held for environmental bushland purposes for the period ended June 2014 is $322,383.
16. RECOMMENDATION:
THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE REPORT, SUBMITTED ON FILE, BE NOTED.

ADOPTED

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