18 May, 2022
Forrest Street units approved
A highly controversial four-unit two-bedroom development for 16 Forrest St, Pittsworth has been approved by councillors at a Special Meeting of Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC).
The 801m2 block, currently vacant, is on the corner of Forrest and Grand streets, neighbouring St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and across the road from Merv and John Hart Park.
The Material Change of Use proposal was submitted by Brisbane developer James Prendergast under Base Up Building Pty Ltd.
Councillors all voted in favour of the development application except for Mayor Paul Antonio.
The four units have a total gross floor area of 379.5m2, covering 55.2 per cent of the site.
Each unit includes two bedrooms, an open plan kitchen, dining room, living area, bathroom, laundry, single lock-up garage and private courtyard.
The garages for all units accommodate a single car, with off-street parking available for a single vehicle in each driveway.
There is also space identified for on-street parking.
Following the submission period earlier this year, TRC received 37 submissions from community members, 35 of which were properly made.
All of the submissions objected to the development.
At the meeting, Forrest Street resident Stephen Johnson spoke on behalf of local residents.
He said due to the short notice for the meeting, he was the only person able to organise time off work to attend.
“I really can’t over-state the stress this development is placing on the neighbourhood,” Mr Johnson said.
“We are not against development.
“We are also not saying there’s no place for units in Pittsworth.”
Mr Johnson said other areas of town are far more suitable for units to be built, such as on Margetts, Storey, Weale and Steele streets.
He said all the surrounding residential properties are single-dwelling houses and the vast majority of properties are owner-occupiers.
As was included in a few of the submissions made to TRC, Mr Johnson took issue with the lack of maintenance on 16 Forrest Street by the current owner.
“Everyone but this developer seems to care for our neighbourhood,” he said.
Mr Johnson said if the units were approved he and the other concerned residents were exploring holding a town meeting, that the Councillors and Mayor would be invited to attend.
TRC planner Katrina Christensen was on hand to answer any questions councillors had.
Cr Nancy Sommerfield voiced concern about the site covering over 50 per cent of the property’s area.
The Medium Density Residential Code of the current planning scheme has an Acceptable Outcome of 50 per cent.
Ms Christensen explained that although the Acceptable Outcome had not been met, the application meets the Performance Outcomes of the code, which make
the proposed development suitable.
Councillors also voiced concern about privacy for a neighbouring property and the proximity of the ensuite in one unit to the external boundary.
Ms Christensen said that the fence will be 1.8m tall and that the positioning of the ensuite meets specifications.
James Williams from Precinct Urban Planning, which submitted the development application on behalf of the owner, also spoke.
Mr Williams said the owner intends to use the units as cheap accommodation rented out to elderly residents of the Pittsworth area.
He said the owner has constructed these types of units before in South-East Queensland, including in the Toowoomba area, and that in nine out of ten cases of elderly people living in these types of units, they are one car households.
The block was sold in November 2019 for $122,500.
