Defence Department knocks back State Government offer to buy Bulimba Barracks site
THE State Government and Brisbane City Council had big plans for this parcel of land in one of the city’s most prestigous suburbs. But now the seller has had a change of heart.
Southeast
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THE Department of Defence has rejected the State Government’s offer to buy the Bulimba Barracks site, opting to sell the land on the open market.
The move places the council’s masterplan for redevelopment of the site in jeopardy after months of public consultation.
A Defence spokesman told the South-East Advertiser the Department “would pursue an open market sale process to achieve the market value of the site in accordance with the Commonwealth Property Disposals Policy”.
He said Defence had scheduled about 20ha of Bulimba Barracks for divestment in 2017-18.
The spokesman said the site was not on the Commonwealth Heritage List and Defence was continuing its heritage investigations as part of its due diligence before selling the property.
Since mid-2015, Brisbane City Council has been working with the community to regulate future development at the Bulimba Barracks site at Apollo Rd in partnership with the State Government.
South-east MPs Terri Butler and Di Farmer and Councillor Shayne Sutton said they were extremely disappointed the Federal Government had knocked back the State Government’s offer.
“Right from the beginning the Turnbull Government has shown they have no interest in what’s best for our local community,” the politicians said in a joint statement.
“Together, we have all worked really hard to develop the masterplan for this site, which has been in effect since the middle of the year. Residents are having a say on the final amendments to that plan now.”
Council’s masterplan on the Barracks has been in place since the middle of the year.
The masterplan will be formally adopted in the CityPlan 2014 after final public notification of the plans.
Submissions are open until December 9.
Council is hosting two Talk to a Planner sessions on the masterplan on Thursday, November 17, at St John the Baptist Anglican Church, 171 Oxford St, Bulimba, from 2-4pm and 5-7pm.
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