Suburban Renewal Precinct locations announced

The site of the former Top Taste bakery at Kedron will be rezoned to permit residential construction under a Brisbane City Council suburban renewal plan.

A paint factory in Brisbane’s south and a former bakery in the city’s north will become Suburban Renewal Precincts, Brisbane City Council has announced.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says a total of 70 hectares of industrial land would be rezoned to permit residential construction among village precincts to help ease housing demand.

The Top Taste bakery site in Kedron is one of the identified blocks of land to be used in the initiative. Picture: Darren Cartwright

“This is about changing the zoning of the land, the underlying zoning will go from commercial to a more mixed use or residential zoning,” Mr Schrinner said on Tuesday.

“Obviously, we would be keen to see some more affordable housing built as well, that is really important for our key workers and it’s important that it is well located.”

The precincts were predicted to deliver thousands of homes similar to the industrial transformations in Teneriffe and Newstead, which have since become some of Brisbane’s least affordable suburbs.

Mr Schrinner could not detail how council would ensure any affordable or community housing was made available in the new locations.

“These are not government owned precincts, these are privately owned, and so obviously, what happens there will depend on what the owner wants to do with it,” Mr Schrinner said.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced the Suburban Renewal Precincts as part of the 2022-23 Brisbane City Council Budget to Brisbane City Council in a special meeting, City Hall, Brisbane, on Wednesday 15th June 2022 – Photo Steve Pohlner

The Mayor was unable to say when residents could be expected to move into the new precincts as council worked with landowners to receive and approve planning proposals.

“There are some people that are really motivated to move quickly, others will take a bit more time and we need to identify … which opportunities can come on first and work with those owners to make that happen.”

The initiative was initially in the Brisbane City Council’s budget in June to revitalise areas dominated by ageing industries with existing transport networks to service a jump in population.