PLANS for a 58-unit warehouse development and food-and-drink outlet opposite Iona College have drawn objections over heavy-vehicle movements, student safety, noise and flooding concerns.
Iona College, State Member for Lytton Joan Pease and residents are among those who have lodged submissions with Brisbane City Council over the proposed redevelopment at 132 North Rd, Wynnum West.
Crossmuller Pty Ltd lodged the application in July, seeking approval for a material change of use for warehouses and a food-and-drink outlet, as well as building work in the flood overlay.
Documents prepared by Plan A Town Planning propose 58 warehouse units, each with a mezzanine floor, across 7729sqm of gross floor area.
The plan also includes a 140sqm food-and-drink outlet with outdoor dining at the front of the development, intended primarily for tenants but accessible to the public.
It nominates a maximum building height of 12.25 metres, separate entry-only and exit-only crossovers, and 175 on-site car spaces, including four accessible spaces.
But Iona College argues the project could create an unacceptable conflict between industrial traffic and its school community.
The college says it has about 1850 students and sits directly opposite the site while Darling Point Special School shares the campus and fronts North Rd.
In its submission, Iona said the applicant’s traffic figures forecast an additional 278 vehicle trips each day, including activity during school operating hours.
It raised concerns about proposed access for 19-metre articulated vehicles and 12.5-metre heavy rigid vehicles on North Rd, which it says is already congested during school drop-off and pick-up periods, weekend sport and rail-crossing delays.
Iona said North Rd was a 40km/h school zone during school hours and called for a detailed assessment of how heavy vehicles would interact with students, buses, parked cars and pedestrians.
The college also raised concerns about diesel emissions, truck noise, stormwater and the potential impacts on Darling Point Special School students.
Ms Pease lodged a separate objection backing the concerns raised by Iona and Darling Point Special School.
She urged Council officers and traffic engineers to inspect North Rd during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up periods and called for direct consultation with both schools.
“No commercial development is worth compromising the safety of a child,” she wrote.
A separate public submission, with the author’s details removed from the Council file, proposed a western access route through an upgrade and extension of Frank Mallan Drive, arguing it could bypass North Rd and provide a more direct connection towards the Port of Brisbane Motorway.
The objections have emerged as Council seeks further information from the applicant.
In a September 10 information request, Council said the submitted traffic assessment did not satisfactorily justify the proposed reduction in parking supply.
It asked for a revised assessment by a registered professional engineer of Queensland to demonstrate that parking could meet peak demand from the warehouses and food outlet.
