Brisbane City Council Archives

Nundah Cafes Partake in Responsible Cafes Movement

Espresso Train and Coffee Club are two Nundah cafes that are both part of the Responsible Cafes movement, a group of coffee owners and coffee drinkers who aim to reduce or ideally eliminate the use of disposable coffee cups. Both cafes offer discounts to customers who bring their own cups with them when buying coffee or tea.

According to Responsible Cafes, Australians are wasting more than three billion takeaway coffee cups and lids yearly and most are never recycled. Hence, the people behind the movement are working hand in hand with the Brisbane City Council which, for its part, has unveiled its Reusable Cup Campaign in September 2017.

As part of the council’s campaign, it will provide 20 high-quality reusable “KeepCup” coffee cups to each of the 100 Brisbane cafes that accept the Business Recycling Challenge. These cups are to be given as a gift to loyal customers who regularly buy coffee in reusable cups. Such customers will also be given free coffee on their tenth visit.

Espresso Train Cafe and Catering

Participating in the Responsible Cafes movement is something that is expected from the staff at the Espresso Train Cafe. To begin with, the establishment’s mission is to provide meaningful employment for people with disability. It is also a not-for-profit registered charity which is not owned by any single person, but rather run by members of the cooperative.

Being conscientious about the environment is also something ingrained with the Espresso Train. The cafe is solar-powered and has been working on installing more panels so they can be energy-neutral by 2020.

Additionally, the cafe mindfully conserves water by not washing on the sink but rather filling buckets when rinsing. It recycles cardboard, hard plastic, and paper and has in fact been encouraging patrons to bring with them papers with prints on one side. Instead of throwing them away, they write orders on the unprinted side.

Another great thing about the cafe is that it has been implementing a system called “suspending coffees” since May 2013. This is a practice where anyone can purchase two serving of coffees with one held “in suspension” for the homeless and less fortunate to claim.

Espresso Train Cafe and Catering is located at 46 Station Street, Nundah, Brisbane

The Coffee Club Nundah

The Coffee Club Nundah is a member of The Coffee Club, Australia’s largest home-grown cafe group with approximately 400 stores in nine countries and an estimated 40 million customers.

Sustainability is also fully embedded in the establishment’s consciousness, as it supports sustainable farming where natural resources are protected, where coffee is grown responsibly and farmers are assured to generate income.

The Coffee Club Nundah is located at 179 Sandgate Rd, Nundah QLD 4012, Australia

If you are a cafe owner and interested to join the Responsible Cafes movement, you can register your business here.

For those who are in other suburbs, you can find a participating cafe in your area here.

Proposal for a Nundah Child Care Centre is Still Pending for Approval

Town Planning Alliance, a company that specializes in delivering the best planning and development advisory services, lodged a development application for Nundah Child Care Centre in the middle of this year. The development is located at 254 and 258 Buckland Road, Nundah.

The proposal is still awaiting confirmation after the Council required the development application to satisfy the Stormwater Code, including a request for an amended plan to show that the existing house roof water will drain to the drainage system.

Proposed Plans

Photo credit: D.A. No. A004647729, Brisbane City Council

Town Planning Alliance lodged the application in behalf of the Smithfield Property Group. It is a Brisbane-based firm that specialises in property development, funds management, and development management. They largely focus on niche projects involving suburban retail, residential, and child care projects in Brisbane.

The Nundah Child Care Centre is just one of Smithfield’s child care projects. Opus Architecture, a firm that services the public, commercial, health, leisure, and education sectors, designed the plans for the centre.

The plan proposes a facility with a maximum building height of two storeys in compliance with the Nundah District Neighbourhood Plan. The centre is designed to accommodate 83 children and is planned to operate from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. only.

The proposal also shows that there will be four to five play areas (including the play deck) around the centre. Below the play deck, there will be an undercroft parking area with 17 car park spaces. Vehicle access will be provided from Buckland Road.

A sub-division has also been proposed to retain the existing dwelling, allowing 450 square metres for the lot and 1,164 square metres for the new centre. This will allow the project to keep the surrounding development and comply with the Low Density Residential Zone.

Development Details

New two storey building with height of 9.5 metres
559 square metre of GFA
845 square metre for play areas
Site coverage of 604 square metres
Undercroft car parking

The development application is still open for suggestions. You can lodge your submissions on the Brisbane City Council PD Online page for the development. Smithfield will place the Nundah Child Care Centre for sale upon completion.

Kerbside Collection Time in Nundah: Time to Take Out Those Large Household Items

The Brisbane City Council’s (BCC) Kerbside Collection is set to happen on Monday, 7th of August, in the Nundah neighbourhood. Everyone is advised to take out their old sofa, dining sets, and other pieces of furniture and appliances that are too big for the wheelie bin this weekend.

All items should be placed on the kerb by 6:00 a.m. at the start of the collection period. Be mindful of the items you will take out. The Council will not collect unacceptable items that are placed on the kerb.

Acceptable Items:

furniture and white goods (e.g. fridges and stoves)
small household appliances (e.g. fans and toasters)
carpet and rugs
bath and laundry tubs
wood products less than 1.5 metres
bicycles and sporting equipment
electronic waste (e.g. televisions and computers)

Unacceptable Items:

garden waste (e.g. trees, grass, potted plants)
dirt and stones
bricks and concrete
commercial builders waste
car parts and tyres, including car batteries
general household waste (e.g. food scraps)
liquids
hazardous wastes (e.g. chemicals, oil, asbestos)
gas bottles
glass and mirrors
household waste that normally goes into your waste or recycling bin

Failure to remove unacceptable items within seven days will result into illegal dumping fines.

Tips and Guidelines

Apart from making sure that the items you will take out are acceptable, the items should be properly piled up. For items that must be placed in boxes, organise each box by putting labels and secure them properly for any weather condition. Keep the piles tidy to avoid blockage on the footpaths and roadways.

The piles should not be larger than two cubic metres or a small box trailer load. Also remember to remove the doors of the refrigerators and cupboards.

Be courteous to the collectors. The items should be easily and safely lifted by two people. Do not leave sharp objects on the pile.

Time for Scavenger Hunting

No room for mess like this
Photo credit: www.keng.id.au

One man’s trash could be another man’s treasure. There is no local law in Brisbane that will prevent people from scavenging off other people’s rubbish, so scavenger hunting is on this weekend.

For the scavengers looking for something to recycle and upcycle, always remember the words “courtesy” and “respect”. Other people’s pile should always be left tidy after rummaging through it. Your neighbours followed the council’s guideline of keeping their piles neat. It’s your obligation to keep it that way or to make it even neater than they were.

Keep your vehicles and ute ready this weekend. You never know what you will find on your neighbours’ kerbs.

Late for the Kerbside? No Problem.

BCC has another option on how to reduce waste to landfill. The Resource Recovery Centre is open for both recyclable and green or general waste. The centres are located at Nudgee, Willawong, Ferny Grove, and Chandler.

Vehicles that are under 4.5 tonnes Combined Gross Vehicle Mass (CGVM) can use the drive-through recycling area for free, whilst vehicles above 4.5 tonnes CGVM can still recycle, but with fees applied.

Donating usable household items is a great option. There are charities around Brisbane that will accept these items with open arms. You may have missed the Kerbside Collection, but you will not miss helping the people in need.

GIVIT is a national non-profit virtual organisation founded by CEO Juliette Wright. They support all agencies, services, and charities in Australia to store, sort out, and distribute the donations to specific individuals or communities who exactly need the items.

Photo credit: http://ajaneday.blogspot.com/

Kerbside Collection comes only once a year. This will be a busy weekend for the whole neighbourhood because it’s time to take those unwanted belongings out.

Visit the BCC’s official website to know more about waste management disposals.

Nudgee Bikeway Bridge Replacement @ Banyo; Closures Required in Nundah

A 100-metre section of the Kedron Brook Bikeway, between Nudgee Road, Nundah and Nudgee Road, Nudgee Beach will be temporarily closed from the 14th to 21st of July, to give way to the replacement of the Nudgee Bikeway Bridge.

The Nudgee Bikeway Bridge is part of the Kedron Brook Bikeway. The bridge is already at the end of its useful life. The replacement project is essential because there are approximately 1,100 cyclists and 220 pedestrians crossing the bridge everyday via the Kedron Brook Bikeway.

Brisbane City Council plans to replace the old bridge with a 3.5 metre-wide fibre composite bridge deck that will enhance the safety of both cyclists and pedestrian. The new bridge structure is seen to be more flexible to the salt water environment, suited to any environmental condition, and has low maintenance requirements.

Traffic controllers will be on site three days before and after the full closure of the bikeway to ensure the safety of all pedestrians and cyclists and to maintain their access through the work site. Proper signages will be installed at intervals along the Kedron Brook Bikeway.

Kedron Brook Bikeway

The Kedron Brook Bikeway is one of Brisbane’s busiest bikeways. Stretching for almost 20 kilometres from Mitchelton to Nundah, it connects to the Jim Soorley Bikeway on Nundah’s east. It is a valuable corridor for cycling, away from the traffic jams.

In the past few years, the bikeway has undergone major upgrades, including the recently completed “Kedron Brook Bikeway: Grinstead Park Shared Pathway Stage 2” project. The Grinstead Park stage provided the missing link in the off-road Kedron Brook Bikeway and ensured ease of access and connectivity to Grinstead Park, Kedron Brook’s existing bikeway, and the Stafford City Shopping Centre.

Check out the Brisbane City Council’s website for the details and construction updates of the Nudgee Bikeway Bridge Replacement Project and to view the current bikeway projects.

Frank the Cat Saved from Euthanasia; Rescue Group Sets Example for the Community

Nundah resident Annabella Verity, founder of I AM V Pet Rescue, took Frank, the Cat, from a pound in New South Wales and transferred him to Brisbane for recovery from infestation few months ago. Frank already found a home and is now getting better. Ms. Verity urges the public to take cats and other animals to the vet and not to the pound.

Lucky Frankie

(Photo credit: I AM V Pet Rescue/Facebook)

Frank is one lucky feline that was rescued from euthanasia after being dumped in a pound. When Ms. Verity found him, he had horrible eye and ear infections, fleas, cough, and was underweight.

He was taken to a vet immediately, though not much help was given at the time due to his condition. With a heavy heart, Ms. Verity just took him home. She and Ang, a kindhearted individual who functioned as Frank’s temporary foster parent, took turns in caring for the troubled cat.

After a few days, Frank was seen by another vet, Dr. Paul of Grange Vet, who treated him with antibiotics, ointments, ear drops, vaccinations, food, and bath. The antibiotics did not work on Frank’s eye, so he needed surgery to keep him from going blind.

Frank’s eye surgery went well and he can now open his green eyes. Ms. Verity has now placed Frank with a “forever parent.” The cat is now happy with his new mum Nikki, and has flourished under her care. He is getting better every day, but he still needs follow-up care to prevent the relapse of infection in his eyes. Frank’s Go Fund Me page is still open for donations for his medications and rehab.

I AM V Pet Rescue

Frank got his second chance at life through I AM V Pet Rescue. It is a privately-funded, Brisbane-based animal rescue group organised by Ms. Verity. Frank is not the only feline rescued from euthanasia.

I AM V Pet Rescue’s mission is to save all the animals in Australian pounds and reduce the rate of euthanasia. They are also raising awareness about animal welfare issues, while raising funds to support veterinary care and rehabilitation of the rescued animals.

The foundation is dedicated to finding at least temporary shelters for animals in the pound, just to rescue them from euthanasia.

Updates and details on how to help and adopt the rescued animals can be viewed on their Facebook page.

Save Animals from Euthanasia

According to the Brisbane City Council, there were more than 5,000 cats and dogs that had been euthanised in the past three years.

Euthanasia of feral cats and stray dogs is a part of the council’s pest management program. Pounds usually euthanise sick animals without even consulting professional advise during the same time frame they were not adopted. Unfortunately, most of these feral cats and stray dogs were once domestic pets that were abandoned by its owners.

“People need to understand that owning an animal isn’t a right, it’s a privilege and with that privilege comes certain responsibilities,” RSPCA Spokesman Michael Beatty said.

Euthanasia is unavoidable, but saving few animals from being abandoned is a great help.