Victoria Park revamp: Brisbane City Council unable to give details on full cost and release dates

Almost five years since the Lord Mayor unveiled plans to revamp Victoria Park, the Council still cannot estimate the total project cost, or provide a timeline beyond this year.

Almost five years since the Lord Mayor unveiled plans to revamp Victoria Park, the Council still cannot estimate the total project cost, or provide a timeline beyond this year outlining when each piece of the jigsaw puzzle will be ready for residents to enjoy.

What is known is that the LNP administration has spent $33 million to-date on the design and early works, and the Schrinner council committed a further $141 million to the project over four years which will run through to the end of the 2026/27 financial year.

The Lord Mayor’s Office has stressed that it is not possible to say which elements of the project will be completed in 10 years time or the cost, particularly with the added complication of the park being an Olympic venue and the impact the installation of the temporary Games infrastructure will have on the progress of the Master Plan.

A month out from the election, the Greens say there is not enough transparency around the decision-making, while Labor believes the project should be “put on hold” amid a $400m budget blackhole and said the cost of what has been achieved so far is “mind-blowing”.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced his Victoria Park vision in June 2019. This project is particularly significant because at the time, he had only been in the city’s top job for two months, having taken over from Graham Quirk.

In mid-2023, following community consultation, the Council released a Master Plan outlining the area’s transformation from a golf course to a 64-hectare green space for all ages.

The main features are a bike and skate park; high ropes course; revitalised wetlands and waterholes; water play area; community sports precinct with multipurpose court, cricket nets, and tennis courts; function centre with bistro and golf driving range; a pedestrian and cycle bridge; and all with Kelvin Grove and Herston busway access.

The draft master plan for Victoria Park in Herston has been released which includes high ropes courses, edible gardens, water play areas and pedestrian and cycle bridges.

Temporary facilities will also be installed in the park to host equestrian cross country and BMX events in the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

But this comes with a setback, major elements such as the revitalised wetlands and waterholes cannot be progressed until after the 2032 Games, because the significant work required could be undone during installation of the temporary Games facilities.

So far the LNP administration has spent $33m on Victoria Park.

This funded the four-year planning and consultation process; conversion of the old golf course to parkland, for example, filling in the old golf bunkers; new furniture, shelters, toilets, and BBQs; opening park access from Herston and Kelvin Grove busway; early works for the Spring Hill Common and urban pump track; and planting more than 20,000 trees and shrubs.

Looking ahead, $141 million allocated in the 2023/24 budget will be spent over four years.

This should deliver the Spring Hill Common – a parkland area with seating, picnic areas and open activity space – and a new kids pump track suitable for scooters, bicycles and skateboarders. Both are expected to be completed this year.

The draft master plan for Victoria Park in Herston has been released which includes high ropes courses, edible gardens, water play areas and pedestrian and cycle bridges.

This significant investment of ratepayer funds should also cover the cost of a new adventure playground, upgraded vehicle access off Herston Road, extra carparking, and earthworks.

Labor council opposition leader Jared Cassidy said “so much has already been spent, delivering so little”.

“To find out $33 million has been spent on this one inner-city park and you can barely tell the difference blows my mind,” he said.

“Victoria Park is a nice-to-have, but when the Lord Mayor is cutting $400m in suburban projects and council services, Victoria Park should be put on hold.”

Greens mayoral candidate Jonathan Sriranganathan said “there’s a lot to like” about the overall vision, but he believes there are “serious deficiencies” in the current masterplan.

“I don’t see why on earth upgrading a single park needs to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and I think there needs to be more transparency around how decisions are being made and where the money is going,” he said.

The draft master plan for Victoria Park in Herston has been released which includes high ropes courses, edible gardens, water play areas and pedestrian and cycle bridges.

“We’re particularly concerned about possible attempts to privatise and commercialise parts of the park, and rumours that the Council and the Department of Transport and Main Roads still don’t have agreement on how the TMR-owned sections of land will be redesigned.”

Brisbane City Council’s Civic Cabinet Chair for Environment, Parks and Sustainability, Councillor Tracy Davis said Victoria Park promises to be “an iconic new destination for Brisbane residents and visitors”.

“What Expo 88 did for Southbank, the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games has the potential to do the same for Victoria Park,” she said.

“We’re already investing in the new Spring Hill Common, an urban pump track for kids and have delivered new park furniture and shelters for families.

“Delivery of the Master Plan will continue in the lead up to hosting temporary events in the park in 2032. Following the Games, we will progress further projects identified in the Master Plan, like the waterholes and wetlands.

“It’s really sad Labor opposes Victoria Park and the long-term benefits it will bring for all Brisbane residents and visitors, just like they opposed the creation of Howard Smith Wharves.”

Late last year, the Council applied to the state government’s SEQ Livesability Fund, asking for $80.56 million in funding – almost 30 per cent of the fund’s total value.

If granted, this state government funding would be included in the $141m council has already committed over four years, not in addition to.

But crucially, this application estimated the project’s current cost as $162m, meaning the Council is asking the state government to cover around half of the current forecasted bill.