Red Hill Skate Arena legal fight settled

Brisbane cinema identities have struck a settlement deal allowing their planned $10m redevelopment of the historic old Red Hill Skate Arena to proceed as a boutique movie complex - with only a minor change.

Peter Sourris poses at the old Skate Arena site in Red Hill, Brisbane. (AAP Image/Jono Searle)

SIGH OF RELIEF

After nearly a year of costly legal combat, brothers Peter and Stephen Sourris are breathing a huge sigh of relief.

The Brisbane cinema identities struck a settlement deal yesterday that will allow their planned $10 million redevelopment of the historic old Red Hill Skate Arena to proceed as a boutique movie complex with only a minor change.

Their scheme had been challenged in Planning and Environment Court by a rival operator running Reading Cinemas at nearby Newmarket.

That lawsuit, filed in April last year, alleged that approvals granted for the Sourris project were not properly made and it sought to have them voided.

While the brothers defended the case, the two sides started talks in November to resolve the dispute and they have finally smoked the peace pipe.

“It’s a good outcome. We’re very happy with it,’’ Peter Sourris told City Beat yesterday.

Under their blueprint, the graffiti-covered site will still be redeveloped as a five-screen centre accommodating about 350 patrons, with four small “gold class’’ cinemas and a single larger capacity theatre.

But plans for a two-lane bowling alley have been scrapped. Other terms of the deal remain confidential.

Sourris couldn’t tell us when work will be completed but thinks it could open next year.

Work on the first stage, including a new roof, has already been completed on the building, which started life as movie venue in 1914 but sat derelict for nearly 20 years following a devastating fire.

The brothers are hosting an open day this Sunday morning which has attracted interested on a Facebook page from more than 3600 people, many of whom have fond memories of the place as a live music hall and skating palace.

TECH FEST

They’re predicting it will be Queensland’s biggest ever innovation festival.

Yes, the inaugural conference and exhibition known as QODE (intentionally misspelled like so much else in the tech world!) kicks off in Brisbane next week.

More than 1000 innovators, investors and entrepreneurs from around the world will converge over two days at the city’s convention centre starting Tuesday to hear from plenty of brainy types.

One of the more intriguing speakers is Dr Roey Tzezana, an Israeli futurist who advises his government on artificial intelligence and disruptive security technologies.

Equally interesting is Bryan Lee, an ex-NASA operative based in California who specialises in cyber espionage and regularly briefs INTERPOL.

Kicking off the talkfest will be an invite-only bash at Parliament House on Monday night for about 250 guests, including the usual crew of pollies.

Among those with tickets are Telstra boss Andy Penn, NBN chief Stephen Rue, Suncorp supremo Michael Cameron, Adagold Aviation chair Mark Clark, a few big shots from Google and the consul generals from the US, China, Japan and India.

A launch party for about 300 will play out on the rooftop of the Fox Hotel the following night, with new Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah and Data#3 state boss Ray Merlano set to join the throng.

RESURFACING

After a brief rest from his last gig, Brisbane resources player Fred Hess will resurface next month as a non-executive director of start-up Mining Project Accelerator, known as MPX.

The company, backed by Ortus Mining Capital, aims to deploy robust technical analysis, IT and targeted capital raisings to drive resources projects around the world.

It already has a foothold in Singapore, Laos and Australia, with plans to have up to 10 projects ahead of a capital raising later this year.

Hess left copper and gold miner PanAust in mid-January after 13 years with the firm, including four as managing director. He was among a slew of senior executives who headed for the exits.

The shake-up came three years after PanAust was devoured in a $1.2 billion takeover by its then-major shareholder, the Chinese state-owned Guangdong Rising Assets Management.