Bold vision unveiled for ‘new world suburb’ to transform wartime hub

Masterplan concept reveals a new vision to turn a Brisbane suburb that was an historic wartime hub into a centre of innovation and advanced manufacturing.

New vision unveiled for Brisbane industrial suburb of Salisbury.

A BOLD vision to transform a historic wartime hub on Brisbane’s southside into a “new world suburb” of innovation and advanced manufacturing has been unveiled.

The masterplan concept for the rejuvenation of Salisbury in the city’s middle ring has been proposed in a new case study by development think tank Suburban Alliance.

Its release comes as new life is being breathed into the industrial suburb with the opening of new businesses including cafes, a brewery and food co-op in recent times.

The vision of Salisbury as an innovation district and knowledge hub for advanced manufacturing.

Salisbury Reloaded and Reimagined is the culmination of six months of work by urban designers and town planners and follows Brisbane City Council’s announced budget funding for a new citywide Suburban Renewal Taskforce.

It calls for flexibility in land use designations, a focus on employment generation activities and collaboration between private and government stakeholders.

The streets of Salisbury in the 1940s.

“The new industrial revolution — also known as Industry 4.0 — and advanced manufacturing on a digital scale is coming,” said Suburban Alliance director Steve de Nys.

“Salisbury is ripe and ready to embrace this to become a case study for developing a new world suburb that supports Brisbane’s claim to be a new world city.

“It always struck me as being a suburb that had more potential. It has a fascinating history and over the years there has been some development activities and refurbishment of old buildings but it hasn’t really gained any momentum.”

The ‘saw tooth’ industrial buildings from Salisbury’s historic past.

Urban Economics managing director Kerrianne Meulman said Salisbury was uniquely positioned to capitalise on its location, industrial and manufacturing heritage and ‘forgotten’ status to emerge as an innovation district and new knowledge hub for advanced manufacturing.

“Once the province of the State’s rail works, Salisbury became a hub of industry activity when it was selected as the location for munitions manufacturing during the Second World War,” Ms Meulman said.

“During its heyday it employed some 3000 workers, or almost 100 workers per hectare.

The old munitions factory, Salisbury

“But by the 1990s, many of Salisbury’s iconic and ‘saw tooth’ industrial buildings were effectively past their use-by-date and in 2016, only 1130 workers (25 workers per hectare) in the Salisbury area are actually employed in manufacturing.”

Elli Fisher, principal urban designer with Tract, said the master plan concept for Salisbury explores and responds to new demands of industry and manufacturing, as well as the needs, lifestyles and aspirations of the talent that comes with that job creation.

“It’s easy to see how this centre could come to life with a little bit of co-ordinated investment and planning focused on a unified vision,” Ms Fisher said.

The masterplan concept for Salisbury comes as new life is being breathed into the industrial suburb with the opening of new businesses — including a brewery — in recent times.