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M1 Upgrade Final Planning Stage: Business Case on Daisy Hill to Logan Motorway Upgrade Underway

Artist’s impression of proposed Loganlea Road Station | Photo credit: Department of Transport and Main Roads / tmr.qld.gov.au

Following the completion of the M1/M3 Gateway Merge upgrade and with the construction of the Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill upgrade well underway, work on the Pacific Motorway (M1) moves into the third and final stage involving business case planning of the Daisy Hill to Logan Motorway upgrade.

Community consultations in the project’s design concept were conducted from 7 November to 27 November 2022. Delivery of the business case is expected by mid-2023.

Key features of the project include:

widening around 10 kilometres of the M1 from 6 to 8 lanes to 8 to 10 lanes, including Smart Motorways technologies, which proactively manage traffic to lessen its impact on the overall network
extending the South East Busway from Springwood station to Mandew Street, building 3 new bus stations and 2 new park ‘n’ rides
extending the Veloway (V1) by around 9 kilometres and improving local active transport paths
major upgrades to Paradise Road, Mandew Street, Grandis Street, and Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road interchanges
consolidated M1 exit/entry ramps.

The Federal Treasurer and Member for Rankin Jim Chalmers said that the project is expected to generate 500 jobs during construction which delivers flow-on benefits for local businesses.

“Construction is progressing well on the $750 million upgrade between Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill and stage three to Logan Motorway is the missing link.”

Meanwhile, Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said that the State Government is delivering better roads and reduced congestion right along the Pacific Motorway (M1), and “nowhere is that more evident than through the growing Logan region.” He added that the package rounds out the almost $2 billion program of works on the M1 to the North.

“We know more than 27,000 trips are expected to be made between Daisy Hill and Logan each day by 2041 – without upgrades this will leave the M1 at a standstill,” explains Mr Bailey.

“Integral to this project is the active transport improvements that are built into the design, which will see the veloway extended to 30 kilometres.

“Connecting Brisbane to the Logan Motorway via the Veloway is an important link in our vision of having a dedicated active transport corridor from Brisbane to the New South Wales border.”

“This business case process is such an important step in delivering better, safer roads for Logan locals,” said State Member for Macalister Melissa McMahon.

“The works already completed further north have made a big difference for morning commuters, and this is the next step in alleviating that bottleneck around the Hyperdome.

The $1 billion project aims to address the current prolonged periods of congestion and poor travel time reliability at the Pacific Motorway (M1). This is a joint investment between the Australian Government and Queensland Government with each contributing $500 million.

Bus Route 126 Service Extends to Pallara Beginning December 2022

Photo credit: Facebook / Translink

Great news! The rollout of the extension of bus route 126 to Pallara will commence on 12 December 2022.

Just in time for Christmas, the route 126 extension to Pallara will commence in December to support the growing need for public transport options for Pallara residents. Councillor Angela Owen confirmed that Council Officers have completed the installation of three pairs of bus stops to facilitate the service and announced the official rollout date which will be on 12 December 2022. Member for Algester Leeanne Enoch also made a similar announcement in her social media post on 14 November 2022.

The route 126 extension will extend the service from Sunnybank Plaza to Pallara (Stockland Estate and Ritchie Road) and then to Heathwood. It will link with the city 118 service and 460 service at Heathwood as well as other transport services that are connecting at Sunnybank.

Moreover, the bus route 126 extension will provide rail connections at Altandi Station, including express connections (Beenleigh and Gold Coast lines) whilst buses will continue to service Acacia Ridge shops and Acacia Ridge TAFE.

Photo Credit: Facebook / Cr Angela Owen - Councillor for Calamvale Ward — Photo Credit: Facebook / Cr Angela Owen – Councillor for Calamvale Ward

Cr Owen is likewise calling for additional 803 school bus services which support students at Pallara State School.

“In recent weeks, I have personally travelled on the school bus in the afternoon with over 60 students travelling on the bus most days. A number of students did not have go cards which is resulting in disparity to statistical data representation of patronage. Of great concern is that the majority of the students on the bus are under the age of 12 and due to patronage numbers, not all are able to sit on a seat to travel safely,” her letter to Translink CEO, Sally Stannard reads.

Hence, she requested for additional school bus services between Palllara and Pallara State School, and between Heathwood and Pallara State School, to complement the existing school bus service currently available for students from these areas.

Council is currently undertaking a Bus Network Review with a series of public consultation sessions already underway until 10 December 2022.

Under the proposed new bus network, two new fully electric, high-capacity Brisbane Metro lines will be introduced into the network. The two new lines will connect 18 stations along dedicated busways from Eight Mile Plains to Roma Street, and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital to The University of Queensland.

Subject to the delivery of busway infrastructure, available funding and government approvals, future stages of Brisbane Metro could include service extensions to other areas including Chermside, Brisbane Airport, Carindale to Capalaba and Springwood.

Other key changes include the addition of three new routes Route 26 (Griffith University station to RBWH station), Route P109 (Acacia Ridge to City) and Route 182 (Upper Mt Gravatt Station-Garden City to Holland Park West) and the combining of 27 routes and removal of two routes, particularly Routes 145 and P151, due to duplication and low patronage.

New Supermarket, Retail, Fast Food Development Proposed for Pallara

Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au/

A new shopping centre, with a supermarket, fast food outlet, specialty retail outlets, medical centre, and childcare centre, could soon be built in Pallara.

Situated at 223 Ritchie Road in Pallara, the approximately 1.62-ha property is the site of the proposed new neighbourhood centre. The Kris Kowalski Architects-designed development proposal by Pallara Central Pty Ltd includes a 1,500-sqm supermarket, retail outlet, indoor sport and recreation, healthcare, a 903-sqm childcare centre and a drive-through fast food outlet.

Proposed site aerial photo | Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au

The main building will provide convenient access between tenancies via a roofed walkway and will also contain a pavilion-style cafe. The centre will have a total of 3,838 sqm of centre uses.

The proposed fast food outlet with drive-through facilities and service bays will be located separately from the main centre. The proposed childcare centre will also be a separate building but similar in design to the main centre activities building and will be located along the eastern boundary of the site.

New Shopping Centre Proposed for Pallara — Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au/

“The proposed development presents with a highly articulated façade, addressing and activating both Ritchie and Laxton Road. As demonstrated in the Figure below & within the enclosed architectural plans, the proposal constitutes a sensitive urban design outcome that is compatible with the low-density residential nature of the surrounding development. Characterised by a cascading roofline cladded in modern profile corrugated metal and floor to ceiling glass shop fronts, the centre comprises a number of detached building; grouping anticipated uses in a suitable manner.” – JFP Urban Consultants

The proposed centre will be constructed in three stages: Stage 1 for the 142-place childcare centre, Stage 2 for the supermarket and centre activities and Stage 3 for the drive-through fast food outlet component of the development.

The proposal will likewise provide 192 car parking spaces including 8 accessible bays located within the ground floor area. Vehicle access is via an existing singular cross-over along Laxton Road.

223 Ritchie Rd, Pallara QLD 4110, Australia

Richlands and Forest Lake Parks Open New Playgrounds, Scooter Track

Hancock Park, Kathleen Street Park, and Settlers Village Park now have two new playgrounds and a scooter track, giving families in Richlands and Forest Lake new options for quality time with their children.

Playground | Hancock Park, Forest Lake

The new, bigger playground in Hancock Park on 27 Huon Place opened at the end of September 2022, earlier than expected, after works to install new equipment and expand the playground were completed.

The new play equipment includes a slipper slide, climbing frame, and interactive panels. The updates also include new seating, edging, and retaining blocks.

Scooter Track | Kathleen Street Park, Richlands

Kathleen Street Park on 26 Kathleen Street has a new scooter track, part of the Council’s scooter track initiative . This is part of a batch that also includes two other scooter tracks in Paul Conti Park, Hemmant, and Wittonga Park, The Gap.

These tracks were based on the award-winning scooter track in Bradbury Park in Kedron which was opened in June 2021. The Paul Conti Park scooter track project also includes a new playground next to the track and a new picnic shelter.

The Kathleen Street Park track was also completed in September 2022 and is open to visitors of all ages.

Playground | Settlers Village Park, Forest Lake

The Settlers Village Park playground on 100 Flinders Crescent, also completed in September 2022, received a makeover that includes new rock walls, a net rope climber, track slide, swings, rocker, and a shop panel, along with sandstone block retaining walls.

Grand Plaza Acquisition Ups EG Funds’ Portfolio to $1 Billion

Did you know that the Grand Plaza shopping centre in Brown Plains is now partly owned by investment house EG Funds Management? Early this year, EG’s Australian Core Enhanced (ACE) acquired a half stake in the centre from Invesco through an off-market deal understood to be around $220 million.

US investment house Vicinity Centres, which now holds the other 50 per cent stake, acquired the mall at 27-49 Brown Plains Road in Logan four years ago from its wholesale fund Vicinity Retail Partnership for A$215 million.

The deal that was inked last March 2022 means the EG’s Australian Core Enhanced Fund now has fourteen core-plus assets Australia under its portfolio. The transaction was struck at an acquisition core capitalisation rate of just below six per cent.

“EG’s Australian Core Enhanced Fund now owns 14 core-plus assets across Australia in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, eight of which were purchased in the last 12 months ,” ACE Fund Manager and Executive Director, Chris Pak said.

ACE Fund Manager and Executive Director, Chris Pak | Photo Credit: EG Fund Management / eg.com.au

“It was a case of acting quickly and intelligently when the pandemic triggered an abrupt reset of values and we identified the opportunity to grow a diversified portfolio of office, retail and industrial assets worth over $1 billion for our investors.”

Situated approximately 27km south of Brisbane, Grand Plaza is known as the world’s first shopping centre to offer rooftop drone delivery. Anchored by Big W, Kmart, Target, ALDI, Coles, Woolworths and Event Cinemas, the centre has a gross lettable area of 53,288sqm and features a recently refurbished food court and more than a hundred specialty stores.

Grand Plaza shopping centre also features at-grade parking facilities that can accommodate about 2,500 cars and currently has more than 180,000sqm of underutilised space. The mall is expected to gain from the anticipated capital growth and cap rate compression across the country’s retail markets this year.

“Value can be extracted from this asset with an active asset management strategy to enhance the retail offering and tenant mix,” EG’s Head of Capital Transactions, Sean Fleming said.

EG manages a total of $5.1 billion in assets on behalf of super funds and private wealth clients. It has around $3.9 billion already in the development pipeline and $760 million in residential sales in the last two years with 16.7 per cent per annum realised IRR for institutional funds.

New Self-Service Checkouts At Coles Forest Lake Draw Mixed Reactions

Four traditional checkout lanes at Coles Forest Lake have been replaced with six, new self-checkout machines, drawing mixed reactions from customers. Although many were impressed by the new technology, some customers complained about the ‘extremely hard’ experience.

Read: Get To Know Thai Hoa, the Inala Grocer That Supplies Many of the Best Restaurants in the City

An older customer, who posted in a community page, said swiping and bagging can be particularly hard for people who are in a mobility device.

The customer went on to say that he prefers to receive full service, adding that the interaction keeps shoppers entertained as they have someone to talk to at the end of their shopping journey. Also, ‘it keeps people in employment.’

Coles’ old self checkout machines, taken in Nerang (Photo credit: CC-BY-SA-3.0/Kgbo/Wikimedia Commons)

Whilst it’s true that Coles Forest Lake has replaced its traditional checkouts with self-service machines, a spokesperson from the company pointed out that there are still five traditional checkouts on the main lane for those who would like to be served by one of their team members.

A self-serve checkout features a conveyor belt, where shoppers can unload the items from their trolleys.

The Rise of Self-Serve Checkouts

The supermarket giant first introduced the self-service technology in 2015 in Melbourne, in a bid to encourage shoppers to complete large shopping trips on their own.

Although remained unimpressed, many expressed appreciation, particularly in light of pandemic concerns.

In a Reddit thread about Coles’ self-service checkouts, there were shoppers who shared that the new large format self checkouts are “fantastic” because they work so much better.

“I’d much rather do the self checkout even though I am doing their job. My groceries get treated with respect, my fruit and veg doesn’t get thrown and slammed, my bread doesn’t get squashed and I get to pack my own bags. Even more importantly, I don’t have people putting their germs all over my groceries,” the Reddit user said.

Less Jobs? Not Really

One of the main concerns people have about self-serve checkouts is the thought that it kills jobs.

Contrary to this impression, Coles has revealed that their employee numbers have continued to grow in recent years, with 120,000 team members joining in 2021, up from 118,000 in 2020.

The retail giant said it has invested heavily into the self-service technology with an aim to help customers check out more quickly whilst freeing up team members to interact with their customers in other areas, providing guidance and assistance to the level they require.

Gather up Your E-waste, Other Large Items For Kerbside Collection This September

Photo Credit: F. Muhammad / Pixabay

It’s time to gather up your E-waste and other large items for collection! The Forest Lake Ward Kerbside Collection is coming this September 2022.

The Forest Lake Ward Kerbside Collection happens on the following dates:

Ellen Grove – 5 September 2022
Forest Lake – 5 September 2022
Richlands – 5 September 2022
Doolandella – 12 September 2022
Durack – 12 September 2022
Inala – 12 September 2022

Here is a rundown of the items that you can and cannot place on the kerb:

Acceptable items

Bath and laundry tabs
Bicycles and sporting equipment
Carpet and rugs
Electronic waste (e.g. television and computers
Furniture and white goods (e.g. fridges and stoves)
Small household appliances (e.g. fans and toasters)
Wood products less than 1.5 metres

Unacceptable items

Bricks and concrete
Commercial builders waste
Car parts and tyres, including car batteries
Dirt and stones
Garden waste (e.g. trees, grass, potted plants)
Gas bottles
General household waste (e.g. food scraps)
Glass and mirrors
Hazardous wastes (e.g. chemicals, oil, asbestos)
Household waste that normally goes into your waste or a recycle bin
Liquids

In 2018-19 Australia generated nearly 540,000 tonnes of E-waste | Photo Credit: EKM-Mittelsachsen / Pixabay

Important things to remember:

Large household items for collection should be on the kerbside in front of your home not earlier than one week before your suburb’s schedule. Also, all items should be on the kerb no later than 6:00 a.m. on Kerbside Collection Day.
If you are going to discard an electronic device such as your mobile phone, tablet or laptop, make sure to delete all data to prevent identity theft.
Keep your pile tidy on the kerb.
Piles larger than two cubic metres will not be collected.
Refrigerator and cupboard doors should be removed.
Never leave sharp or any dangerous objects on the footpath
Make sure that the items you discard can be easily lifted by two people
If you expect severe weather conditions, make sure that your items for disposal are well secured.

“Use Cloud for storing data to reduce the need for storage devices” - Brisbane City Council — “Use Cloud for storing data to reduce the need for storage devices” – Brisbane City Council| Photo Credit: F. Muhammad / Pixabay

What is E-waste and what can you do about it?

Electronic waste or E-waste refers to electronic products such as computers, mobile phones, television, fax machines and stereos that have reached or are near the end of their useful life. Many of these items contain materials that are considered hazardous including mercury, nickel, lead and zinc, so it is important to dispose of them properly.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that in 2018-19 alone, Australia generated nearly 540,000 tonnes of E-waste with only half recycled. Households contributed to around forty per cent of this electronic waste.

You can do your share in helping minimise the amount of electronic waste that ends up in landfills by reducing the number of e-products in your home, consider repairing your broken E-product or dropping off your items for recycling.
Visit the Council website here for more information on how to reduce E-waste and where you can drop off your E-waste item.

Notorious Forest Lake Blvd and Rudyard St Intersection to Get Safety Upgrade

Photo Credit: Google Maps

The intersection of Forest Lake Blvd and Rudyard St are set to receive a safety upgrade as part of a $22.1-million federal initiative to improve road safety across the country. Three other Brisbane intersections are on the list.

Four Brisbane black spots are already earmarked for improvements in the coming months as announced by Lord Mayor Schrinner. The notorious intersections located in Forest Lake, Inala, Wavell Heights and Brisbane CBD where serious crashes were known to have occurred will have traffic-light installed/improved along with other upgrades under the federal government’s Black Spot Program.

A total of 53 sites across Queensland will be upgraded as part of the Australian Government’s more than $25 billion investment in road safety projects that are expected to be delivered over the next four years.

Specifically, these intersections are:

Forest Lake Blvd and Rudyard St – where seven crashes and four hospital admissions were recorded in the last six years. Project to commence in late 2022.

Rosemary Street and Biota Street – where nine crashes and two hospitalisations were recorded in the past six years. Project to commence in September 2022.

Bilsen Road and Hamilton Road – where there were nine reported crashes recorded between 2015 and 2021, and all of which resulted in medical treatment or hospitalisation. Project to commence in late 2022.

Adelaide Street and Creek Street – where a total of 16 crashes were recorded between 2015 and 2021, 12 of which required hospitalisation or medical treatment. Project to commence this August 2022.

List of road safety improvement projects in Brisbane under the Black Spot Program:

Location	Upgrade details	Funding
Forest Lake Blvd and Rudyard St, Forest Lake	-Install traffic signals -Modify centre medians -Extend the right-turn pocket -Modify services as required -Regrade and resurface the intersection to suit the revised layout -Install signs -Linemarking and street lighting	$1,515,000
Rosemary Street & Biota Street, Inala	-Upgrade traffic signals including a fully controlled right-turn phase and provision of mast arm -Modify services -Regrade/resurface intersection -Improve delineation -Clear hazards -Upgrade lighting as required	$583,500
Hamilton Road & Bilsen Road, Wavell Heights	-Install right turn pockets and additional lanterns to control right-turn movements -Upgrade signal phasing -Signage and line marking to suit new signals -Relocate bus stops to the departure side of the intersection	$1,063,000
Adelaide Street Creek Street, Brisbane	-Install mast arm and turn-arrow lanterns -Upgrade traffic signs -Traffic-signal phasing and line marking to suit the new intersection layout	$448,000

Source: Parliament of Australia

The complete list of funded projects across Queensland under the Black Spot Program can be found here.

Get To Know Thai Hoa, the Inala Grocer That Supplies Many of the Best Restaurants in the City

Have you shopped at the Thai Hoa Grocer at the Inala Civic Centre? They may seem like a typical specialty produce and marketplace, but did you know that they supply several restaurants across Brisbane with ‘specialist’ and hard-to-find produce?

Read: Supermarket Giant Unveils New Distribution Centre in Heathwood

Michael Nguyen, one of the owners of the establishment, says they supply the likes of Gerard’s Bistro, Japanese restaurant Yoko, Thai eatery sAme sAme, and Fortitude Valley’s Agnes Restaurant.

Not only do they supply these restaurants with basic produce, Mr Nguyen says they also help these businesses get specialty stuff for their menus. For instance, they supply Agnes with shishito peppers and Gerard’s Bistro with spicy radishes and rich tomatoes.

Mr Nguyen helps Joy, a restaurant in Fortitude Valley get mustard greens and corn for some of their Japanese-inspired dishes, as well as sAme sAme for their banana blossom, which is an important ingredient in their salad.

In fact, there are items that they grow only for restaurants, such as the shishito peppers for Agnes restaurant, because there’s not enough for retail.

As with any other venture, the grocer’s success did not happen overnight. When Mr Nguyen and his wife Kimberley Tedi, along with brother-in-law Nick Mah took over the business seven years ago, it was mainly a dry goods store.

Knowing that there were a lot of growers near Inala, he went around to all the farms to see what they were growing. That’s when he discovered micro-growers for weekend markets and over time, he has also developed relationships with growers such as Loop Growers and Neighbourhood Farm.

The first restaurant owner who put faith in his business was Tyron Simmon, former co-owner of Longtime, a Fortitude Valley restaurant which was quite well-received at the time.

From there, the grocer’s popularity grew by word of mouth and some of Brisbane’s top chefs started contacting them to source their much-needed produce from them.

Today, around 30 percent of Thai Hoa Grocer operates on the wholesale side, whilst most of it still caters to locals shopping for fresh produce.

You can find Thai Hoa Grocer at Shop A of Inala Civic Centre, seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Locals Say They Didn’t Know About Proposed Parkinson Subdivision Until It Was Too Late

Many residents in Parkinson have expressed their dismay over Brisbane’s public notification rules in relation to proposed developments after allegedly learning about a planned subdivision in the area just after the closing date.

Read: Would Public Transport Be Able To Keep Pace With Pallara’s Booming Population?

Based on planning documents submitted to Council, the proposal involves reconfiguring an 8-ha land at 2875 Beaudesert Rd, Parkinson, into 80 lots. The subject site is currently unimproved and is vacant but many locals have used it for dirt bikes and as a motorbike track in the past.

Also part of the proposal is a ‘functional internal road network, integrating with surrounding road connections to existing and approved residential development.’

Neighbours claimed the ad was published on page 57 of a newspaper for only a day and the sign for the new development was set up in an area along Beaudesert Road where pedestrians rarely walk past.

The biggest concern of the residents is the traffic impact it would add to the area, particularly for those residing in Lakewood Estate where the road is reportedly only one street in, one street out.

Developer HB Land, the new owners of the estate, claimed they only acquired the site long after the DA (A005273635) was approved and after the period for appeals to the Planning and Environment Court ended in April 2022.

Beaudesert Rd subdivision — Extract from approved plans (Photo credit: Brisbane City Council)

In response to the complaints of the residents, Civic Cabinet Chair for Planning, Adam Allan said the public consultation met the requirements of the Queensland Government’s Planning Act, including its signage, newspaper ad, and notifying the owner of the neighbouring lots.

Cr Allan added that the State Government’s Planning Act does not require a letterbox drop to the wider community be completed.

Regarding traffic concerns, Councillor for Calamvale Ward said Council has already delivered an additional turning lane on Algester Rd to reduce traffic backlog towards Toorak St, which will also cater for the future growth in the area.