Two contenders in search for Brisbane's new inner-city high school

Brisbane’s apartment glut has opened the door for further debate on a new high school for the inner city to ease the load on Queensland's largest secondary school, Brisbane State High School.

The choice of site for Brisbane’s newest inner-city high school boils down to a block behind Park Road train station and the Ecosciences Precinct at Dutton Park and an offer of two blocks of land beside Davies Park on Montague Road at West End, which has been confirmed by Fairfax Media.

The site at Dutton Park in front of the Ecosciences Precinct was identified as the preferred site by local MP and Deputy Premier Jackie Trad on February 18.

Option one for the site of Brisbane's new inner-city high school.Credit: Tony Moore

However, a group of parents – the Inner South Education Coalition – has raised questions about Brisbane State High School’s catchment, the lack of green space at Dutton Park and transport problems for students to the preferred site.

Brisbane State High School, with about 3300 students, selects 1000 students – 50 per cent on academic merit, 40 per cent on sports merit and 10 per cent on cultural merit – from outside its catchment area each year.

Community consultation on the choice of new high school to curtail growth at Brisbane State High was extended by Ms Trad and closes on Monday, April 30. Views can be forwarded here.

The Dutton Park and West End sites were originally supposed to be apartment complexes.

As long ago as 2007, 500 units were to be built at the Ecosciences Precinct as part of Leighton’s development of the site.

In November 2016 Stockwell became part of the Leighton’s development, promising 500 units “to the north and south” of the Ecosciences Precinct.

The government's preferred Dutton Park site includes two areas of green space between the Ecosciences building and Park Road station, the old Dutton Park police station and the car park on Patricia Mather Place owned by Brisbane City Council.

At West End, the triangular-shaped site on two Montague Road blocks (281 and 299) is beside the entrance to Davies Park where the popular weekend market is held. An access road runs behind.

Two lots of land on Montague Road at West End with soccer fields behind is a second option for a new inner-city high school in Brisbane.Credit: Tony Moore

Two of the blocks are privately owned, one leased by the Queensland government for the Queensland Building and Construction Commission. The soccer fields behind are on Brisbane City Council land.

The owner has a four-stage development application for 456 units on the site.

Inner South Education Coalition spokesman Ben Wilson said the owner was prepared to lease the land to Education Queensland for “60 to 99 years”.

Fairfax Media confirmed with the Sydney-based property owner the offer was in 2017 through an independent third party to the Queensland government.

The owner, who asked not to be identified, confirmed it was still an open offer on commercial terms at the end of the existing leases on the site.

The proposed high school site at Montague Road at West End , beside Davies Park.

Education Queensland confirmed Brisbane State High’s local catchment area – which now stretches through South Brisbane and West End and out to Dutton Park – will change when the location of the new high school is chosen.

“The catchment for the new Inner City South State Secondary College, and the corresponding changes to the existing catchment at Brisbane State High School, will be confirmed by mid-2018 after the location of the school has been identified,” a spokesman for Education Minister Grace Grace said.

Brisbane State High School's existing catchment boundary in 2018.Credit: Education Queensland

However the Inner South Education Coalition argued South Brisbane and West End students would not have access to Brisbane State High, despite catchment changes that would tip Woolloongabba and Dutton Park students towards Dutton Park.

“The numbers don’t add up,” ISEC spokesman Ben Wilson said.

“Based on current public school enrolment rates, in West End by 2021 BSHS would need to make space for just under 2000 students. They would grow to 2370 in five years.”

The Dutton Park site’s strength is its transport links to students outside the catchment because it is right beside the Park Road train station and the South East Busway.

The proposed Dutton Park site is beside the South East Busway and the Park Road station.

Mr Wilson said the trains and buses would not help local students, unless there were changes to bus routes.

He said most West End and South Brisbane students would end up being driven to the school if the school was at Dutton Park because Annerley Road, Boggo Road, Stanley Street and Gladstone Road were dangerous for student cyclists and it was too far to walk.

Dutton Park has no oval and would rely on students being bussed to the University of Queensland ovals, Education Queensland said.

“These options include ‘off-site’ sports fields, a model adopted by many other inner-city schools in Brisbane,” Education Queensland said.

Ms Trad said Brisbane State High already did this.

“Due to the constraints of space, many inner-city state and non-state schools, including BSHS, already use a range of green space options outside of their primary grounds to meet the needs of their students and programs,” she said.

The Inner South Education Coalition argued that a school at Montague Road at West End could use the soccer field behind it – under agreement with Brisbane City Council.

A bikeway also runs behind it. It has engaged a population expert to provide data to its argument.

However, Ms Trad argued the costs for Montague Road were difficult to calculate.

“Firstly, the state government does not own the land and will have to negotiate either the transfer of the soccer fields leading to the loss of local green space or the purchase of a number of properties, which have approved development applications,” she said.

“The purchase of these properties would conservatively represent a 1000 per cent increase on the cost of land purchase alone, even before construction starts.”

The new high school – key facts

• It will open in 2021 with year 7 students and have year 12 students by 2026.
• It will have 1500 students.
• Education Queensland is considering 20 per cent “out of catchment” and 80 per cent “local students”.
• It will be a “vertical school”, with a science and health focus, and use ovals and classrooms in a yet-to-be-explained partnership with University of Queensland.

Disclaimer: Tony Moore lives in West End.