The Council states “The program is designed to transform some of the cities forgotten spaces into vibrant meeting, retail and dining destinations,” however it is all too clear to some that what has been forgotten are those areas that stretch further than the city centre.

Justin Wells of Tonic Architecture + Design, and partner of B³ Brisbane Boutique Bars, feels Brisbane City Council too regularly neglects the inner city’s neighbouring suburbs and has stepped forward to challenge The  Council and the Vibrant Laneways and Small Spaces initiative.

“It is clear the Lord Mayor has given some consideration about pushing for a rejuvenation of Laneways and the like in the CBD, but this extent is a purely token effort, let’s get serious here and embrace a collective of ideas and promote something cohesive. How long do we need to have Melbourne envy and Sydney for that matter…?”

Mr Wells wishes to challenge Council to look at the Laneways and Public Art initiative and create a cohesive strategy of integrating both measures into the Fortitude Valley Neighbourhood Plan. “Laneways such as Hynes St in Fortitude Valley, are crying out for a fresh and creative reinvention and could offer a real melting pot of creative disciplines the ability to add to rear of the Leighton’s HQ development” Mr Wells added.

Hynes St would be a great test case for a Fortitude Valley’s Vibrant Laneways push and quite timely with the Leighton’s HQ development nearing completion.

With a bevy of creative and wide spread initiatives being taken up in other parts of Australia, Mr Wells would like to challenge Council to firstly identify the areas of the Valley worthy of revamping and provide Expressions of Interest to the public to compete for creative resolutions of these spaces.

I see the future direction of the Valley lanes could be iconic if given the real opportunity for uniqueness. My suggestion would be as follows.

Firstly council should map out the lanes, streets and/or roads within the Fortitude Valley area, which people and businesses could truly benefit from by having a unique and intrinsically visual and creative domain.

Secondly, council should tender for a panel of adjudicators which would assess future design submissions of these lanes, streets and roads.

Thirdly, Council, by next July should find a budget which will allow the Vibrant Laneways scheme to extent to the Valley area which is currently in existent within the CBD.

Finally, Council should provide Expressions of Interest submissions that all members of the public and design community could  tender their designs for the ‘real’ Vibrant Lanes. I would expect the panel of adjudicators would then select a winning scheme and this could be implemented in the public realm.

The key to this type of process is the whole public would become empowered to add positively to their space and environment which they frequent daily. Additionally, the criteria for such submissions should integrate public art of all mediums, spaces and facilities which benefit the community as a whole.

At the moment this is not the currently process as the public art and Laneways initiative are mutually exclusive. “It could be reasonably envisaged that Brisbane would then be in a position to promote its creative grain within a built environment and an envy of the other states” Mr Wells added.

“I see shapes, light and tactile elements which could suspend between buildings which would help to define creative precincts”

“People influencing spaces for people…… now that is the Valley I want to be a part of” Mr Wells said.

Read about this in Brisbane Times

Featuring in a recent article in the Australian the proposed plans will make it easier for shops, hairdressers and other businesses in the Valley Special Entertainment Precinct make an application to obtain a bar licence for all or part of the premises.

The proposal will mean the developments below will be self assessable in the Special Entertainment Precinct of Fortitude Valley:

…Centre Activities where a Hotel, Nightclub or Restaurant and where:
• not involving building work, and
• less than 100m² in gross floor area(2), and
• not located within the same building as, or within 5m from a residential use, and
• complying with the Acceptable Solutions in the Centre Amenity and Performance Code…

(2) Other uses (e.g. shop) may occupy an area greater than 100sqm, provided the licensed component (e.g. hotel) is less than 100sqm.

However, the proposal to exclude property outside of the Special Entertainment Precinct is not what was expected and b³ has made a formal submission to the Brisbane City Council asking that the self assesable level of development be extended to Multi Purpose Centres (MP2) within the area covered by the Fortitude Valley Neighbourhood Plan.

Removing the cost and uncertainty of a Code Assessable planning application along with specific provisions allowing mixed use developments will take us one step closer to a vibrant bar scene in Brisbane.

Download a full copy of the Draft Fortitude Valley Neighbourhood Plan.

In some areas of Brisbane an application for a bar licence is less complicated than it is in others. The first bar licence to be approved is in South Brisbane/Woolloongabba at Caro Mio, a classic 30s style cafe and jazz bar now licensed and offering movies on the weekends. In this pocket of South Brisbane the town planning regulations classify a  hotel as a Self Assessable application. When will the rest of the state be brought into line?

http://4bars.com.au/web/2009/08/14/small-bar-red-tape/

Brisane City Council’s laneways project in the news on channel 10.

But advocates of the Melbourne model in both cities say legislative red tape and entrenched attitudes are blocking moves to diversify the bar scene.

(Read the full ABC News article)

B³ – Brisbane Boutique Bars will be officially launched on Wednesday 15th July 2009 at Limes Hotel, Constance Street, Fortitude Valley. Subscribe to our news feed now to be on the invitation list.