‘Bold & Visionary’: What Lockyer Valley will look like in decades time

A “bold and visionary” plan is for our region as 63,000 people are predicted to call the Lockyer Valley home by 2031. READ MORE:

Plainland in 2011 and again in 2021.

The Lockyer Valley will be “bold, brave and visionary” as it’s rapid population growth continues and major infrastructure projects get underway.

It is projected that by 2031 about 63,000 people will call the Lockyer Valley home.

As talks ramp up on how our region could host Olympic Games events if Brisbane secures the 2032 event, Mayor Tanya Milligan has hinted what she believes the region will look like in a decades time.

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Water, transport and health will have a major focus, things that people “have an expectation to have,” Cr Milligan said.

With many infrastructures projects either underway or in the pipeline, Cr Milligan said the Lockyer Valley would have a “bubbling CBD” in a decades time.

“Plainland continues to attract businesses and investors very quickly,” Cr Milligan said.

The transformation of Plainland as development continues, 2021. Photo: Hugh Suffell.

She said as South East Queensland continued to grow, the Lockyer Valley would continue to welcome more people into the region who craved a different lifestyle.

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“We will have our secure water source,” Cr Milligan said - hinting that state government approval of the Lockyer and Somerset Water Collaborative business case was imminent.

A key infrastructure project being advocated for is a new regional hospital to cater for the rapid growth in population around the Plainland and Hatton Vale areas.

“I’d like to see it there by 2032,” Cr Milligan said.

With an extra 1000 beds being built at the Southern Queensland Correctional Centre, the need for closer health services will be necessary.

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Porters Hotel at Plainland has stood the test of time and has come a long way since it opened its doors in 1905.

Owner and Marketing Manager, Mel Porter said it was “incredible to watch” the growth of Plainland, particularly over the past 10 years.

“It has been hugely beneficial to a lot of businesses in the area,” Mel said.

In 2019, Porters more than doubled their footprint to offer more space for dining, functions and accommodation to “continue to cater for our region’s growing needs,” Mel said.

She told the Gatton Star that with “so many people calling Plainland home” there was a need for an emergency services hub.

“Our closest fire, police and ambulance stations are all kilometres away”.

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On March 18, Cr Milligan and other South East Queensland mayors travelled to Canberra to express the need to the federal government to secure the SEQ City Deal.

The deal would play a critical role in delivering the transport infrastructure the region needs to manage its growing population as well as enable a successful 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Cr Milligan said there was an emphasis on connectivity, including transport and passenger rail, safer roads and protecting our environment through the Resilient Rivers initiative, as well as managing waste and recycling into the future.

Discussion was also held in relation to the potential Olympics and the benefits this could bring to business, industry, the community and our international visitors, while fast tracking much-needed infrastructure projects.

“For the Lockyer Valley, the Water Collaborative project is an essential component of the City Deal and this is something I will continue to be passionate about delivering for our region,” Cr Milligan said.

More stories by Hugh Suffell.

Originally published as ‘Bold & Visionary’: What Lockyer Valley will look like in decades time