Brisbane's 'ghost town' CBD urged to copy New York and Dublin to survive
Brisbane's dying CBD needs an immediate boost, with grand visions revealed.
Brisbane’s ghost town of a CBD needs to be more like New York or Dublin, experts say, as retailers give up on opening their doors, or shut down altogether.
A Courier-Mail investigation has revealed 34 of 73 retailers on Queen Street Mall don’t open on Sundays, and Uptown retailers are down to 115 tenants from 230.
Business owners and workers say the CBD is “dead” and are calling for more attractions to bring families into the area.
But in some long-awaited good news, Brisbane City Council last week announced a pedestrian-only section of the Albert St mall would open in December, between Elizabeth and Charlotte streets.
It would be extended all the way to Charlotte St early next year and work on a “green spine’’ from the Roma St Gardens to Mary St would start in late 2026 — although the council Opposition questioned how green it would actually be.
QUT retail expert Gary Mortimer said it was a first step, but more was needed.
Times Square and Dublin’s downtown were examples Brisbane could follow, he said.
In the case of Times Square, it had proved as simple as round tables where people could socialise and platforms where they could watch the passing parade.
Dublin and New York had also installed “portals’’ with livestreamed street images so people in the two cities could interact with each other.
Tokyo’s Shibuya district had added community spaces to its retail mix, while London’s Covent Garden built outdoor dining pods, live music areas and “social’’ seating.
Prof Mortimer said extended trading hours were also needed.
In the Mall, stores closed at 5.30pm from Monday to Thursday and on Saturday.
Late trading was only until 9pm and only on Fridays. Sunday hours were 10am to 4pm.
Night-Life Economy Commissioner John “JC’’ Collins said restrictive trading hours were raised during his statewide listening tour.
“I support exploring a more streamlined framework to less restrictive trading hours,” he said.
Other ideas included 24-hour cafes and bars, a live news broadcast centre to replace the Rankins newstand and kiosk, a landmark tourist information pod and tiered seating for people watching.
Committee For Brisbane CEO Jen Williams said downtown areas in major cities around the world were all facing challenges, which in Brisbane included competition from suburban shopping centres.
But she said the Queen St mall had fought back with more “experiential’’ attractions such as the Titanic and Body Worlds exhibitions.
The Albert St mall extension would give people another reason to stop.
“The mall can be a hard environment, that’s why it’s predominantly an area with fast food,’’ Ms Williams said.
“The green spine will be a chance to show off street art and we might get buskers returning. Those are the sort of fine-grain ideas we need.
“While there are a quarter of a million people walking down the mall every day more people are living in the CBD so we can’t forget supermarkets, butchers and other things they need.’’
Council’s September quarterly financial report meanwhile estimated pedestrian movements in the mall were still only 82 per cent of pre-Covid foot traffic.
Retailers at the top end of the mall have been pinning their hopes on an influx of 6000 students and 200 staff when Griffith University opened a campus in the Treasury Building in 2027.
“It will offer new publicly accessible spaces for meetings and collaboration, dining options and a location for events,’’ a spokeswoman said.
“The international students alone are projected to contribute more than $100 million to the local economy every year.
“We will offer 24-hour access for students to study and will be open to the public.’’
Wayne “Balloon Man’’ Bloomfield, who has sold balloon animals in the Mall for nearly three decades, insisted it was thriving.
“After Covid it became busier than I’ve ever seen it, then it quietened down, but when they brought in 50 cent fares it all kicked off again,” Mr Bloomfield said.
“I don’t think there’s as many shoppers, but there’s a lot more families than there once were.”
He said the CBD needed more family-friendly attractions and a crackdown on drug users.
“There’s no playgrounds and there’s no cover in the middle of the mall.”
Sugar ’N Spice Cafe barista Nay Withers said the Adelaide St venue still traded on Sundays but it was quiet.
“Before we were sleepy, now we’re dead,” Ms Withers said.
“I’ve just really noticed that since Covid (the weekend traffic) has died down completely.
“It needs more boutiques shops and student housing so we have a (permanent) population in the city.”
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Originally published as Brisbane's 'ghost town' CBD urged to copy New York and Dublin to survive
