Australian High-Rise Projects Prompts Protests

"Their main objection is that North Bank, to be situated on the northern bank of the Brisbane River alongside the city's central business district, involves the construction of a giant concrete pad that would extend more than 70m into the river at a point where it is only 260m wide."

"While there will be some public space in the development, there will be six buildings, one of them 46 storeys tall."

"Queensland University architecture lecturer Peter Skinner said the Government had not accurately portrayed the scheme during the consultation, and this had compromised the integrity of the project."

"Associate Professor Skinner questioned Ms Bligh's claim that because 90per cent of the people who had made submissions had wanted 'something done', there was strong public support for the Multiplex proposal. 'I meet widely with architects and planners in this city and am yet to find a single design professional, independent of the project, who sees merit in the Multiplex scheme,' he said."