The Brisbane City Council went ahead and approved a 12-storey building despite state orders to cut down building density in its West End area.

In August, the Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe ordered that building heights be lowered in the South Brisbane Riverside from 12 to seven storeys. The minister also disapproved of increasing density in the West End areas citing lack of community infrastructure to cater to the increased population.

To make up for community infrastructure, the council decided to zone a block of state land in Montague Road, West End last week. Local councillor Helen Abrahams criticized the Brisbane city council for for going ahead with plans to increase density despite the minister's ruling otherwise.

Development Assessment chairman Amanda Cooper told The Courier Mail that the latest approved Water's Edge project included 514 residential units with 2,002 square meters of retail space. At that rate, the development had already been cut down from 14 storeys to 12 after council approval.

"This project has building heights ranging from two to a maximum of 12 storeys that is consistent with the intent of the area's neighborhood plan that council endorsed last week," Cooper said."The site's proximity to the city, public transport, schools and other social infrastructure make it ideal for redevelopment. "

"It's disused industrial sites like these that hold the key to accommodating growth in Brisbane while protecting the valuable tin and timber areas."