Kangaroo Point is seeing rising population growth, which could lead to taller buildings in the suburb to accommodate the increasing number of people in the suburb.
The suburb ranked first among the Top 10 Densest Populated Suburbs in Greater Brisbane from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and its population is expected to grow even more in the coming years.
Currently, Kangaroo Point is considered to be the city’s most packed and is now home to 9,110 people. That equates to 6,804 people per square kilometre.
Due to the growing population in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane City Council is planning to allow developments that can go up to 20 storeys. The existing Kangaroo Point Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan limits buildings in the peninsula to 10 storeys.
The council endorsed and submitted the Kangaroo Point neighbourhood plan draft to the Queensland Government in March 2018. The State Government is currently reviewing the draft for state interests. After this review, the community will have a final say on the plan through formal submission.
According to the council’s City Planning chairman Julian Simmonds, a new draft plan will help determine the future of the suburb by identifying future infrastructure needs. He also said that the council supports developments of up to 15 storeys in several areas in the city and Kangaroo Point is an ideal location for such. The council also aims to develop a shopping strip along Main Street with shops and cafe.
Councillor Jonathan Sri, on the other hand, sees minimal thought of adding more public open spaces under the plan, considering that it would increase building heights in the suburb. Cr Sri’s submission regarding the Kangaroo Point draft plan tackled, among other issues, homelessness and housing affordability, traffic congestion and food security.
The draft plan will be available for public consultation mid-2018 and it will be adopted in early 2019.
