Greener Rooftops

Brisbane inner city rooftops are going green

SCA (QLD) have applauded a proposed amendment to the Brisbane City Plan that will promote more rooftop gardens on inner city apartment buildings.

The Urban Development Institute of Australia in Queensland has lobbied Brisbane City Council and State Government officials since late 2017 and the amendment will now be considered by the Queensland Government, with the hope of coming into effect in 2020.

SCA (QLD) says this proposed change by Brisbane City Council will have far-reaching benefits for strata communities, creating more green rooftop spaces in high density areas in and around Brisbane.

SCA (QLD) President James Nickless says, “Before Brisbane City Council voted to change the definition of a storey, improvements such as rooftop gardens and other rooftop amenities were often not possible because they counted as another storey, which impacted yield.

“In addition to weighing up the costs, bodies corporate in Brisbane also faced the lengthy process involved with impact assessable development applications, which further discouraged the delivery of rooftop amenities like pools and green rooftop spaces.

“The amendment to the Brisbane City Council Plan not only makes the delivery of green rooftop spaces more financially viable for strata communities, rooftop amenities have also been shown to increase saleability, making strata buildings more desirable to buyers and investors.

According to ABS data, since 2000, an estimated 143,704 new apartments have been built in Queensland and approximately 52% are in Brisbane alone.

Mr Nickless says, “We’re encouraged by the Brisbane City Councils vote to change the definitions of a storey and we recognise the advocacy efforts of the UDIA QLD in bringing about this positive step towards a greener Brisbane skyline.”

“We’re hopeful the Queensland Government will adopt the changed definition in the Queensland Planning Regulations and support the delivery of more green strata communities for Brisbane residents.”