Fortitude Valley residents fear Brisbane City Council has fast-tracked a 52 sqm LED billboard they say will add to light pollution, endanger historic buildings and devalue more than 100 neighbouring apartments.
Key points:
- A billboard has been erected on a pedestrian bridge over Wickham St
- McWhirters residents say the billboard will add to light pollution and devalue properties
- Bishopp Outdoor Advertising says it has worked hard with the residents to limit impacts
Many in the heritage-listed McWhirters building on the corner of Wickham and Warner streets also said there was no consultation on the proposal.
McWhirters was a department store in the early 1900s and now houses a retail precinct and 114 residential apartments.
Shaun Colley, Amanda Kerr and Janine Walker were among those who chose to make the busy, gritty heart of Brisbane's nightlife home and said plans showed the billboard on the walkway between McWhirters and Valley Metro wasn't meant to be turned on until this week.
However, by 1pm on October 7, motorists and pedestrians could clearly see advertisements flashing up on the massive screen, installed by Bishopp Outdoor Advertising, over Wickham Street.
The trio were concerned the billboard would contribute to unnecessary light pollution, particularly into their apartments, create more danger on a crowded inner city thoroughfare and would detract from the area's grand, old buildings.
They also said while McWhirters retail business had been consulted on the project and would benefit from income from the billboard, the residential body corporate had not.
Mr Colley said Bishopp Outdoor Advertising had told residents the advertising board would not be detrimental to those living in the McWhirters building and that the business had not realised there were people living in the McWhirters building.
He said he had spoken and written to council representatives with his concerns but they had not been adequately addressed.
"We have an issue when local government can do something like this," Mr Colley said.
"We are under no illusion we are living in the quiet hills of Pullenvale or Bellbowrie, but my life savings are tied up in this place, we're all workers, we all love this lifestyle."
He said something was amiss.
"We're waking up every morning and something is different and we weren't told about it," he said.
Ms Walker described the McWhirters apartment complex as an "interior urban village" that was "full of tolerant" people.
But all were concerned at how the light coming off the billboard would impact their home environments at night.
Ms Walker said the billboard was turned off between 10:30pm and 5:30am at the weekend but the "visual pollution was just terrible".
A Brisbane City Council spokesperson said the "application for a third-party advertising sign was approved by the council's independent planning officers in 2014".
"The building work was approved by a private building certifier with the billboard placed on a walkway bridge that is not heritage listed," the person said.
Ad company works with residents
A Bishopp Outdoor Advertising spokesperson said installing the billboard was an "incredibly complex build".
"Bishopp is proud to be delivering a project that will greatly improve the amenity in an otherwise derelict part of Fortitude Valley," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the airbridge and the surrounding area had "long been an eyesore of Fortitude Valley".
"We appreciate that a small number of residents in the McWhirters building have raised concerns about the brightness of our digital screen and the perceived impact," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the company had engaged wit residents frequently in the lead up to the project and had made significant changes to accommodate their concerns.
"These concessions include initial changes to operating hours and a reduction in brightness, with the screen running at 11 per cent of the allowable brightness up until 10pm," the spokesperson said.
"We will continue to be available to work with residents."
Federal MP investigating
Newly elected federal Brisbane Greens MP Stephen Bates said he had concerns about light pollution and the dangers to traffic on busy Wickham Street.
He said he had sent a letter to Brisbane City Council's local representative seeking more information on the approval of the billboard.
"Public safety is a big issue for us," Mr Bates said.
"Billboards are designed to be looked at, they're not designed to be ignored, and this poses a big distraction on one of the busiest roads in Brisbane, if not the northside.
"We've got buses crossing four lanes of traffic, thousands of cars, pedestrians."
Mr Bates also said he wanted to know why the billboard, which was approved 22 months ago, was only installed last week when Brisbane City Council regulations showed they needed to be erected within six months.
"The residents of McWhirters don't want this to happen to anyone else, where they suddenly wake up and there's a giant billboard outside their home," he said.
McWhirters residents have spoken about a desire to hold a protest on Wickham Street but a day and time had not been finalised.