When height causes conflict
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
By Sheree Hoddinett
For many who call Bribie Island home, it’s their perfect little piece of paradise.
You have the rolling ocean on one side, the mostly peaceful passage on the other and with almost everything you need close by, it’s definitely become a popular place to live.
Spread across the Island in varying shapes and sizes are apartment buildings and holiday dwellings, many filled with happy visitors throughout the year. Now, it seems one more is looking to be added to the list.
On March 3, City of Moreton Bay Division 1 Councillor Brooke Savige shared a post on Facebook in regards to a public notification period for a new Development Application for 14-18 Second Avenue, Bongaree.
The impact assessable application seeks approval for a Material Change of Use - Development Permit for Multiple Dwelling and Short-Term Accommodation (45 dwellings), Food and Drink Outlet, Office and Shop. The proposed development involves:
45 x 2-bedroom mixed-use apartments
Activated ground floor commercial development (food and drink, office, shop)
Rooftop open communal space
57 car parks
The post was met with more than 300 comments in response, some supportive, some not so much and some also questioning the proposed development height. Zoning across the Island currently allows for building heights to be capped at 21 metres. This development will exceed this level by more than four metres.
Councillor Savige addressed many queries and concerns on the post, reiterating many times that multiple facets of the application would be assessed by council and that the community had time to make a submission ahead of the closing date in March.
One disgruntled Island local isn’t impressed with the idea of this development, particularly when there is already a multitude of vacant shops on Bribie and a housing crisis across the board.
“I can’t imagine those experiencing homelessness or anyone who falls under the low socio-economic demographic will benefit from this kind of complex,” they said. “I’m questioning who this short-term accommodation will be available to, surely long-term accommodation is more beneficial with our current housing crisis.”
The resident also highlighted the building height and queried whether it was worth ruining the beautiful iconic landscape with the beginning of high-rise buildings.
“Nowhere on the Island has zoning for any building over 21 metres high, including that particular area in Bongaree,” they said. “This structure is 25.4 metres high – 4.4 metres higher than current zoning. If we allow this lapse in council building height approval where will it stop?! The next development application might be for 27 metres. Will they turn a blind eye to this with a gradual increase using the excuse that we allowed 25.4 metres, so what’s another couple. Where do we draw the line?”
“It is over the recommended height but it is more a suggested height in the planning scheme rather than a definitive height which effectively means the application will be assessed based on any impact the extra 4.5 metres would have (because the planning scheme suggests or recommends 21m),” Cr Savige said in response to a comment about the height on theFacebook post. She also added “even if this height were approved, it is considerably lower than the Gold Coast heights which can sit over 100m in their main areas”.
Having lived on the Island for 12 years and visited as a holiday destination prior to making the move, the disgruntled resident has seen more than their fair share of big change in a small space of time.
“With further residential development west of Caboolture, Bribie is the closest beach to visit, it’s also the closest and safest beach from Brisbane,” they said. “Weekends here are already chaotic. We live here because we are NOT surrounded by skyscrapers, urban sprawl, excessive traffic congestion, high crime…….the list goes on. You can’t stop development,but let’s consider what development we want and what potentially being lenient leads to. Do we really want to look like the Gold or Sunshine Coast?”
The push for a second bridge, a need for further infrastructure and requests for more restaurant choices were all brought up in comments in Councillor Savige’s post. There were also multiple comments made about the Island not wanting to look like the Gold Coast.
“There certainly are diverse views on our community on a range of topics and it can be hard to find balance at times,” Cr Savige said in response to one comment.
In regard to the impact on local infrastructure and what it would mean for locals, Cr Savige pointed out that visitors are a big factor in this issue.
“The biggest pressure on our infrastructure doesn’t actually come from our local residents but rather visitors to our area, including those coming here for work such as trades, service providers etc.,” Cr Savige said in the post comments. “This will continue to be a challenge as the growth areas in the west of our region come online and those residents are looking for places to visit on weekends.
“It’s a challenge I speak in council about almost weekly and one we are definitely mindful of and working on plans for.”
If you want to know more about the progress of the development application, visit
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