Editorial: Developing Visy site an opportunity Brisbane can’t pass up

The world is indeed our oyster when it comes to redeveloping this massive slice of inner-city riverside land, writes the editor.

The Visy site in South Brisbane

Deputy Premier and Infrastructure and Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie was right in saying last week the world is our oyster when it came to options to redevelop the massive slice of inner-city riverside land the state has bought from glass manufacturer Visy at Brisbane’s West End.

The challenge will be to find the focus, the money and the capacity amid all the other infrastructure builds necessary for our Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032. But it should happen.

The site had been earmarked by the previous Labor government as the location for the International Broadcast Centre in 2032, ahead of its redevelopment as “South Bank 2.0”.

With a standalone IBC now not being necessary as the world’s media will instead be hosted at the nearby convention centre, there is an opportunity to bring forward the longer-term plan.

We would support this.

The Visy site is literally just around the corner from the existing South Bank and cultural centre precinct. Redeveloping it as an extension to that precinct would add an invaluable community asset to our city as we prepare to host the world’s biggest party seven years from now.

The 7ha site in Montague Rd is about half the size of the existing South Bank Parklands. It is a unique opportunity, as Mr Bleijie acknowledged last week when saying it could be used for housing, community infrastructure or parkland. We would suggest a combination of all three, but under a masterplan to ensure this truly unique opportunity is fully grasped.

The site (lower left riverbank) is not far from South Bank 1.0.

It fits the bill for exactly the types of legacy outcomes we should be pursuing from this once- in-a-lifetime gift for our capital city from the International Olympic Committee, with the deadline of July 2032 acting as a necessary catalyst to cut through any delays. The government should also finally do a deal and take over the neighbouring Parmalat site, the riverfront location between GOMA and the Visy site. Opening up this link would be critical to ensuring the entire precinct works.

Funding is obviously the biggest issue here, so we also back Mr Bleijie’s calls on Sunday for the federal government to be open to contributing to necessary Games infrastructure beyond the $3.4bn it has already allocated for venues as part of a 50-50 funding deal with the state government.

That ask from Mr Bleijie is also a reminder that the details of how the venues funding is split up remains unresolved.

The Crisafulli government’s well-received venues plan relies on the federal government agreeing to untie its funding from plans for a new inner-city indoor entertainment centre, which the state is now convinced can be delivered by the private sector.

The Courier-Mail’s position on this remains clear. An inner-city indoor arena to take over from the Brisbane Entertainment Centre is critical, and the hosting of the Games means it needs to be delivered before 2032. We back the state’s plan to build this arena at the old GoPrint site west across Main St from the Gabba, if only to ensure the huge new underground Cross River Rail station there is not a stranded asset.

But we remain as yet unconvinced the private sector can build it without at least some government contribution. This deal must be locked in before the federal government agrees to decouple its funding from the arena, as right now that commitment is the only thing that guarantees the delivery of an arena in the inner city.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here