Sorry we're closed

So why can't we have better roads or more trains I hear you cry?

I agree, we have issues with transport infrastructure in our city. But show me a city that doesn't.

Predicting where growth will happen and how to cater for it is difficult and more often than not our major infrastructure will lag behind.

So should we, as suggested, have a development moratorium until these issues are address?

Well we could but I go back to my original question, where do we put everyone? There isn't one major traffic corridor in our city that isn't congested at peak hour; you just have to listen to the traffic report each morning.

The Plan your Brisbane game launched recently by the Brisbane City Council shows us that for every planning decision we make there are trade-offs.

It asks would you sacrifice affordability for more greenspace or a better drive into the city? There are no easy answers but surely we can have the discussion in a sensible way, taking into consideration everyone's needs and not just our own.

Compromise seems to go out of the window when it comes to new developments in established suburbs, especially if the locals' objections are overruled.

There must be corruption, or at least incompetence involved? They have breached the height limits, they have 'gamed' the planning laws, they've destroyed the heritage of the area and no one cares.

These would all be valid arguments if they were based on fact. The problem is, many complaints about new developments are based on emotion and misconceptions of how our planning laws work, or even worse, they use the planning rules to mask their own personal concerns.

A two storey townhouse development is not a high density development, it's not even medium density.

It is low density development putting it in the same category as single detached houses.