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Starbucks Submits Plans For 24/7 Drive-thru Coffee Shop In Kedron

Coffee lovers across Kedron will have a new place to check out for a caffeine fix on the go, after plans have been revealed for a new, 24/7 Starbucks drive-thru store in the area.

Read: How Did Kedron Get Its Name?

The store, which has been proposed at 493 Gympie Road, Kedron, spans 168 sqm and will be a single-storey building.

The project site is currently home to commercial showroom buildings which will be removed to facilitate the redevelopment.

Designed by Cottee Parker, the proposed Starbucks coffee shop will have provision for single lane drive-thru (10 cars spaces in a queuing).

kedron starbucks — Plans (Photo credit: Brisbane City Council)

Based on planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council, the outlet is intended to integrate with the adjoining approved development for a Service Station “to create an integrated development through operational efficiency, commercial viability, accessing and servicing arrangements.”

A report prepared by Wolter Consulting Group states that the food and drink outlet further compliments the approved service station, by activating the frontage to Gympie Road, improving the pedestrian access along this area and enhancing the streetscape to a low scale built form outcome.

starbucks au — Starbucks drive-thru in Caboolture (Photo credit: Honest Tiger/Google Maps)

The store would have a separate pedestrian crossing located on Kedron Street. Additional access from Childers Street to the approved service station also provides a connection to the Starbucks, creating an integrated built form outcome.

The launch of a Starbucks drive-thru in Kedron is part of the brand’s wider scheme to go big on drive-thrus. The brand benefited from drive-thrus during the pandemic when stores were forced to close for a while due to safety concerns.

starbucks brisbane — Photo credit: Brisbane City Council

Meanwhile, the site is in an Specialised Centre Zone or large format retail site, which means a public notification will be undertaken for a minimum of 15 business days.

Across all Starbucks locations in Queensland, there are only six with drive-thrus: Eight Mile Plains, Berrinba, Rothwell, Caboolture, Coomera, and Ashmore.

If given the approval, the drive-thru Starbucks in Kedron will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Police Heightens Security at Kedron Brook Bikeway Over Stalking Incidents

Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Gustavo Castillo, Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Police have heightened patrol at the Kedron Brook Bikeway following safety concerns recently raised by several women who experienced harassment whilst on the bikeway.

A Mitchelton man, who has since been arrested and charged with unlawful stalking, willful exposure, breach of bail, and obstructing police, had allegedly followed and approached a teenage girl walking on the bikeway.

Information provided by the community has led to the arrest of a 37-year-old man who was subsequently charged with unlawful stalking and wilful exposure in relation to two alleged incidents.

The man allegedly approached a teenage girl on the afternoon of 4 April. She was walking on the Kedron Brook bikeway at Gaythorne and was on her way to a Belleview address when she was allegedly followed by the man on a bicycle. He left the scene after the girl went inside the property.

Moreover, the Mitchelton man was also alleged to have exposed himself to a 49-year-old woman at a Keperra station last December 2021.

In response to these complaints, Inner West police conducted a coordinated operation and investigation, deploying a bike squad, highway patrol and mounted police units in the area. On 13 July, bike squad officers who were proactively patrolling the bikeway located the man who then allegedly ran when the police approached him.

Further investigations later led to the North Brisbane Tactical Crime Squad officers locating his Mitchelton address. He was taken into custody and was charged with unlawful stalking, wilful exposure, breach of bail and obstructing police.

“We’re grateful to local residents who report suspicious and criminal behaviour, which in this case helped us put an alleged offender before the court,” Inspector Allen said.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their community, and we encourage anyone who witnesses incidents like these to contact police.”

Before the man’s arrest, claims of harassment surfaced recently with several women recounting their individual experiences of being stalked, approached and even touched without permission by a man whilst on the Kedron Brook bikeway. Residents said that these incidents have been happening in the area for years now.

In early June 2022, Police sought public assistance in the investigations into multiple wilful/obscene exposure offences on Kedron, Grange and the Kedron Brook bikeway allegedly committed by a man in his early 20s. The incidents happened between 28 May and 2 June 2022.

Security within the bikeway area has been tightened following these reports with more patrols being conducted daily.

If you’ve experienced sexual assault, you can report it online by visiting this page, over the phone or face to face at a police station. If there’s an immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000).

For confidential information, counselling and support, call the State-wide Sexual Assault Helpline on 1800 010 120 or 1800 RESPECT for 24-hour help.

Byrne Ford Kedron Announces New Million-dollar Showroom

Renowned Brisbane car dealer Byrne Ford will soon open a $1 million showroom, which is set to replace its existing showroom in Kedron.

Read: How Did Kedron Get Its Name?

The new Inner North showroom will feature seven multiple reception areas, state-of-the-art offices, and a space that can accommodate up to eight cars. It will also have a customer lounge which comes equipped with a coffee machine and comfortable furniture.

It will have a three-bay delivery zone, which features electric Smart Tech doors worth $55,000 each.

The brand new showroom is set to replace the existing one, which has been the go-to for those looking for brand new and used Ford and FPV vehicles. The team of dealers at Byrne Ford are known for giving buyers access to a wide range of lenders across the country, helping buyers find the right Ford vehicles for them.

Buyers are encouraged to visit Byrne Ford’s showroom, which is set to open to the public in July 2022. For more information about the new showroom, contact Byrne Ford or follow their Facebook page for updates.

About Byrne Ford

Byrne Ford is part of the Byrne Auto Group, which is a family-owned organisation based in Brisbane.

Known as one of the leading Ford and FPV dealers throughout Brisbane, Byrne Ford has over 200 new/pre-inspected and used vehicles.

Byrne Ford’s Sales facility can be found at 496-512 Gympie Road Kedron and offers customers an extensive selection of Ford vehicles and pre-owned vehicles. Opened in 2010, they have had sales, service, parts, finance and accessories departments.

Lutwyche: Get to Know One of Brisbane’s Oldest Suburbs

Photo Credit: Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Did you know that Lutwyche, one of Brisbane’s oldest suburbs, was named after the first Supreme Court judge of Queensland? Here are some other interesting facts you may not know about this suburb.

Alfred Lutwyche and St. Andrew’s Church of England

This inner-city suburb owes its name to Alfred Lutwyche who was born in London in 1810. He was appointed resident judge of the Supreme Court of Moreton Bay and New South Wales Supreme Court judge in 1859.

It was also during this time that Queensland became a self-governing colony and two years later, Alfred became the first Queensland Supreme Court judge, earning him the moniker “father of the Supreme Court”.

In 1866, St. Andrew’s Church of England was built on a block of land on Lutwyche Road that Alfred purchased (1864) and donated (1865) to the Church.

He died on 12 June 1880 and was buried on the Church’s southern side where a Celtic Cross was erected as the grave’s headstone. His burial site has since become an important feature of the churchyard.

Heritage-listed sites

Conor

Located at 29 Conon Street, this detached dwelling was entered into the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. Conon, built in 1863, was one of the earliest dwellings to be built in the area.

Windsor Air Raid Shelter

Located on Lutwyche Road, the former air-raid shelter was built in 1942 by Brisbane City Council as a wartime precautionary measure. Designed by Frank Gibson Costello, Windsor Air Raid Shelter became a heritage-listed site on 6 April 2005.

Wooloowin State School

Added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 13 January 1995, the school comprises one- and two-storey blocks of classrooms that were connected by verandahs. Among other criteria, Wooloowin State School was considered an important site for its aesthetic significance.

Killila

Located at 100 Stoneleigh, Killila was built in c1885 as a working-class cottage and was the former home of prominent Catholic Archbishop James Duhig during his younger years. The timber house was entered into the Queensland Heritage Register on 1 October 2003.

Key inner-city transportation hub

A year after Alfred Lutwyche immigrated to Australia in 1853, a bridge was built over the Enoggera Creek that provided northerly road access from Brisbane and would later become the starting point going to the Gympie gold fields.

Tram services that meet along Lutwyche Road from Chermside, Kalinga and Stafford served the Lutwyche area until 1968. In 1914, a tramline that ran from Brisbane to Bowen Bridge was extended up to Lutwyche Road, near Kedron Book.

The Stafford line then branched off to Bradshaw and by 1928 the Grange tramline along Maygar Street on Lutwyche and Windsor border opened. In 1925, the tram line further extended from Kedron Brook to Lutwyche Cemetery.

How Did Kedron Get Its Name?

Photo credit: missionaries.griffith.edu.au

The group became the first free settlers in Queensland and also prompted Gossner to start a training institution.

The missionaries were settled in the Nundah area to minister to the locals, the Turrbals. These missionaries, who were granted around 500 acres of land along the creek, called it Kedron Brook, inspired by the Brook Kidron in the Bible.

kedron brook — Bridge over Kedron Brook, ca. 1925, (Photo credit: State Library of Queensland)

In the Bible, Kidron was a valley that divides Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. It was mentioned several times, such as when David went up to the Mount of Olives when Absalom betrayed him and based on the New Testament, Jesus crossed the valley many times travelling between Jerusalem and Bethany.

Kidron came from the Hebrew word qidron which was derived from the root qadar, “to be dark,” and may be meant as “dusky.”

Meanwhile, the first land sales at the suburb started in 1857. Some of the suburb’s early settlers were the Barron family, the Shaw family, Gallagher family, and Henry Craig who settled on land now occupied by Lutwyche Cemetery.

kedron lounge — Kedron Lounge (Photo credit: State Library of Queensland)

In 1862, Queensland’s first judge Justice Alfred Lutwyche purchased a 50-acre lot in the area and became one of the early residents of the suburb. He named his house Kedron Lounge, inspired by the name Kedron Brook.

It was only in the early 1890s when the current name was officially used, when local shopkeeper and postman John King adopted the name “Kedron.”

Kedron developed with the emergence of churches, schools, and parks by the 1900s. Today, Kedron remains popular among families, especially those who prefer living in leafy suburbs.

A concealed mobile speed camera on Gympie Road between Kedron and Chermside has sparked outrage among road users, with some commenting it has been set up for “revenue raising.”

A photo shared on social media shows a Mercedes van parked behind an LED road work sign taking images of speeding vehicles on a section of Gympie Road without warning.

“Not hiding honest !!,” wrote the photo uploader.

“Perfect spot! Nice cover from the sign, and at bottom of a downward slope to grab that extra revenue,” comments one user. Another said there used to be warning signs on that section of the road and that “they got rid of them to make more money.”

Entrapment?

One comment called it “entrapment” since the “offender has no idea that they have been speeding until they get the photo a couple of weeks later” and consequently, the offenders “can not adjust their driving behaviour appropriately.”

In early May, a motorist shared his dashcam footage showing a mobile speed camera in Sydney hidden between three cars. Another video showed another speed camera in Central Coast tucked away behind a tree where several cars are also parked. The videos sparked renewed calls for the placement of more warning signs on mobile speed cameras.

Beginning in February, the NSW Government reinstated warning signs on roofs of mobile speed camera vehicles as the state’s revenue from speeding fines rose, reaching $40 million over the 12-month period ending November 2021 for low range speeding (exceeding 10 km/h or less).

Queensland Government says that camera locations are chosen based on their crash history or assessed risk, especially for active and parked mobile speed cameras.

There should be at least two speed-related crashes in the area within the five-year period for mobile speed camera enforcement to be considered in that location.

No Problem if Not Speeding

Other users, however, argue that covert or not, mobile speed cameras shouldn’t be a problem for those obeying the rule and not speeding.

“I don’t see what the issue is with speed cameras, even if they are ‘hidden’. We all know the speed limit. We all know the rule. And we all know the consequences. If you can’t follow the rule then you deserve the fine,” one user said.

“The easy way for this to not be a problem is to you know, not speed… Then it doesn’t matter what they’re doing,” agrees another.