Small Space Revolution is More Than Bars
14 July, 2009
Brisbane City Council’s plan to develop small spaces will not be restricted to bars, Neighbourhood Planning and Development Assessment chair Amanda Cooper said today.
Cr Cooper said it was great that would-be bar operators were rallying behind Council’s longstanding plan to activate laneways and small spaces, but called on them to broaden the scope of the debate to include other possible uses.
“These spaces could be used for coffee outlets, or for a whole range of things,” she said.
“There are already a large number of places selling alcohol in Brisbane and Fortitude Valley so we should try to look outside the square for alternatives to bars.”
Cr Cooper said the plan to enhance laneways was outlined in the City Centre Master Plan. It is known as the Vibrant Laneways and Small Spaces initiative.
The initiative would be included in the upcoming Fortitude Valley Neighbourhood Plan. Council spoke most recently about it on July 3.
Cr Cooper said Council would be interested in ‘fusion trading’ whereby boutique businesses could link with larger businesses to survive.
“The plan is for these businesses would not be self assessable, and free of infrastructure charges if they were no greater than 100m²,” she said.
Cr Cooper said fusion trading was just one option Brisbane City Council was considering to make it easier for small boutique bars to flourish in Fortitude Valley.
“It’s an exciting prospect to breathe new life into our laneways and small spaces and it has the added benefit of making these areas safer because of constant traffic,” she said.
“It’s great that the industry is beginning to get behind this initiative.”
The draft Fortitude Valley Neighbourhood Plan would allow hotels, nightclubs and restaurants to be self-assessable where they did not require building work; were under a certain size (100sqm); were not located in a building containing residential space; and do not share a common boundary with a residential building.
Self-assessable applications could be assessed by private certifiers rather than Council, which speeds up the process for applicants.
[Ends]
July 14, 2009
