NEWS
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has put the owners of rundown Valley buildings on notice, with new laws giving council the power to force them to be cleaned up expected to be passed as this issue of The Independent went to press.
Cr Quirk (pictured) said the draft Health Safety and Amenity Local Law 2012 aimed to lift standards in the Valley by placing a legal responsibility on local building owners to ensure their properties were kept clean, painted and safe.
But the ALP’s Lord Mayoral candidate Ray Smith accused Cr Quirk of “playing catchup” two months out from the council elections by adopting part of his policy to clean up the Valley.
The new laws were expected to be passed at a full meeting of council on Tuesday and will take about 12 months to finalise, depending on state government approval.
The Lord Mayor said he had announced in December last year that council had begun drafting a new law after the State Government provided advice that council had no power to act on amenity issues such as buildings that were dirty, dilapidated or in disrepair. Council could act on matters of public safety.
Cr Quirk said this was part of his “firm but fair” campaign to clean up the Valley and the new laws would be used as a last resort.
“Over the last six months I’ve been working closely with local Valley businesses and building owners and after robust discussions we’ve had some early breakthroughs, including having the outside of the derelict Waltons building repainted,” Cr Quirk said. “However many of theses problems with the presentation of Valley buildings have been going on for 20 years and these laws are there to give us legal reinforcement if people don’t want to play ball.”
Cr Quirk said the new law meant uncooperative owners of rundown buildings faced a range of penalties, including court-ordered cleanup notices and fines of up to $20,000.
“I am determined to boost Brisbane’s economic credentials both at home and abroad and these measures are aimed at bringing business back to the Valley by making it a more pleasant and safe place to work and play,” he said.
“To back this up I’ve recently introduced a number of state-of-the-art litter vacuums, installed CCTV cameras with warning speakers to move on troublemakers and am tripling bin capacity in the area.”
Mr Smith accused the Lord Mayor of “dithering and failing to act in the Valley for years”. “And now all he’s been able to come up with is an incomplete imitation of my Revaluing the Valley policy,” he said.
“When I announced my plan to Revalue the Valley, I said I’d get serious about cleaning up the Valley because the current council had failed to act for far too long. “Now the Lord Mayor is trying to catch-up, but after 27 years in council it’s clear he has no ideas of his own. I’m pleased at least part of my Revaluing the Valley policy is being implemented before we even get to an election, but why stop there? We’d get a better outcome for the Valley if Graham Quirk just copied my entire policy.
“My plan will not only clean up the Valley – it will deliver real infrastructure, investment and incentives to stimulate growth. It includes a range of measures dedicated to supporting positive growth in the area.
“The Valley needs strong action, and an administration led by me will get tough on irresponsible private property owners who are letting down the Valley’s image and help generate positive growth in the area,” Mr Smith said.
