A WYNNUM artist fears the potential redevelopment of the iconic Fox Street fish markets could erase a cherished piece of the Bayside’s history.
Landscape artist Graham W. Smith, 82, has spent decades capturing Wynnum scenes and was commissioned in 2021 to paint a watercolour of the former fish market site, with the painting now held in the John Oxley Library collection at South Bank.
The 35cm by 54cm piece depicts the site in the early 2000s, when the building was still painted blue.
“At the time, the building was blue but was painted yellow around 2005 and then was decommissioned around 2015 or 2016,” Mr Smith said.
The work forms part of a collection of about 250 oil, watercolour and acrylic paintings he has completed since 1997.
But Mr Smith said he was saddened by the prospect of losing a viewpoint he had returned to repeatedly as an artist and resident of Wynnum for 30 years.
“It was a well-recognised Wynnum scene for about 60 years,” he said.
“I drive there every day and sometimes stop and do a sketch of the boats.
“I was saddened to think I could never again complete a painting of that viewpoint.”
Mr Smith said he did not believe the proposal had broad community support and was concerned about its potential impact on residents.
“I think the proposed Fox Street Bayside Pavilion is an outrageously dumb choice for this location,” he said.
“The footprint of visitors’ cars to this venue will swallow up entire streets and deprive residents of their access to properties.
“This will be combined with visual pollution from the height of the building and noise pollution for residents.”
Mr Smith said he believed the project could destroy the charm and amenity of what he described as a historic village corner of Wynnum.
Carina Leagues Club has recently revised plans for its proposed $25 million Bayside Pavilion waterfront dining and entertainment precinct on the foreshore site, following community and Brisbane City Council feedback.
The site remains owned by the Lipke family but is leased to the club.
Under the amended proposal, the development has been reduced from three storeys to two, with the building footprint and number of gaming machines almost halved.
Plans include a cafe, takeaway fish and chips outlet, restaurant, function room and sports bar overlooking Greene Park and Moreton Bay, as well as a purpose-built foreshore boardwalk and reconstruction of the existing jetty.
Carina Leagues Club chief executive Adam Wiencke said the revised proposal responded to issues raised during the assessment process, including parking, traffic, noise, servicing, operating impacts and the project’s overall scale.
“This is the project Wynnum asked for, and we plan to deliver a game-changing community asset to the bayside,” he said.
“Not only does it cater for the Wynnum lifestyle with early morning coffee and breakfast, fish and chips for lunch and a high-end steak and seafood restaurant by the water, but it also provides jobs for locals and economic stimulation in the area.”
Mr Wiencke said the club had a strong record of community support, reporting a social and economic impact of more than $32 million, including $2.2 million in cash donations this year.
