The Australian Institute of Architects will ask Brisbane City Council to redraft a "fluffy cartoon" plan to develop South Brisbane that it says has no details.
It will also add its weight to calls by 1700 residents on Wednesday to ask Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney to extend the Friday deadline for public submissions on the future of the riverside land.
AIA Queensland president Richard Kirk confirmed architects had raised major concerns over the Kurilpa Peninsula plan with council's planning team at an industry briefing on September 25.
"The Kurilpa Master Plan is a world-class opportunity for Brisbane and deserves a world-class process," Mr Kirk said.
"And we have not seen that world-class processs."
The Queensland chapter of the AIA hosted last week's briefing, attended by the Urban Design Alliance of Queensland, architects and landscape architects.
Briefing notes – seen by Fairfax Media – show industry figures questioning traffic, the proximity of buildings, the amount of green space and the purpose of the site.
One person questions whether the large amount of units could lead to an oversupply in Brisbane and a potential medium density "slum".
Mr Kirk said the Queensland chapter of the AIA felt the plan was "ordinary".
"I mean we already have a park along the river there – and yet that is what the master plan is – it's just a park and a bit of city," he said.
Mr Kirk said there needed to be time to reflect on what the site should become as a future space for the city, not simply a chance to move "more of the city" across the river.
"It is like that key decision – what should the space be for the city's future - has not yet been made," he said.
Mr Kirk said serious questions were raised about the density, the proximity of buildings and the staging of the project.
"The Institute is very concerned at the proximity the tall towers can be built. At the minute they can be built six metres apart, whereas best practice would have them built 15 metres apart."
Mr Kirk said he believed more time was needed for experts to be able to evaluate the plan.
"I personally think it is un-implementable because of the way they have approached it," he said.
"They assume that three large developers will arrive and just buy the three large sites."
The draft Kurilpa master plan identifies three residential zones along the reach of the river opposite Milton.
"That is unrealistic. It is 25 hectares and you just don't roll that out in one line," Mr Kirk said.
Mr Kirk commended Lord Mayor Graham Quirk for calling for a master-planning process, but said it was flawed because it had effectively planned the site and was now simply asking for comments.
"Clearly with that master plan they have spent a lot of time with the landholders, but they missed one of the key landholders which is the city which owns the parkland along the river's edge," he said.
"I think as the city does more of it, they will get better at the engagement and it will see the community is actually an intellectual resource and not someone to be worried about."
Mr Kirk said the current trend in consultation was to provide vague details and information.
"They don't put any dimensions on the drawings, there is no scale and it is like a fluffy cartoon.
"It is like an advertising brochure, rather than a serious piece of urban design that people can understand and interpret in detail."
On Thursday more than 1700 people - via a petition - will ask Mr Seeney for seven more months to evaluate the plans.
West End Community Association president Erin Evans said a wide cross-section of the Brisbane community believed the draft plan –while adequate - lacked imagination and was short-sighted.
"We would like that the consultation period be opened up for a 10-month period, rather than a 30-day period," Dr Evans said.
"And we would ask they release all their technical reports and studies that they have done so other professionals can look at what this plan actually means."
Mr Seeney explained in August that the draft plan extended the future of the South Bank Cultural Precinct; including the Gallery of Modern Art and the Queensland Museum.
Dr Evans said the request for an extension would allow an open design competition for the 25 hectares of land to be held.
She said experienced town planner Professor Phil Heywood had already opened doors to allow them to run the open design competition with the institutes of planning, landscape architecture and architecture.
"Whether we run it with the government or independently, we are going to run this open design competition," she said.
Disclosure: Tony Moore lives at West End.
