Uninsurable Brisbane sports club plans life above flood line

A flood-prone inner-city sports club has submitted plans for a new clubhouse after insurance companies refused to cover the community facility.

Eastern Suburbs Football Club submitted plans to transform its East Brisbane clubhouse into a “state-of-the-art” sports and community pavilion, which the club said would future-proof the Heath Park facility.

Heath Park was inundated in both the 2011 and 2022 floods, rendering the clubhouse and its contents uninsurable, according to documents lodged with Brisbane City Council.

The flood-prone Heath Park facility was sandbagged earlier this month as Cyclone Alfred approached.Credit: Albert Perez/Getty Images

“ESFC and BCC have had to absorb the full costs of damage from both events, which is not a sustainable outcome for either entity,” town planning firm Urbis says in its assessment report prepared on Easts’ behalf and submitted to the council on Friday.

“To address this, the redevelopment proposes raising the finished floor level of the clubhouse above the defined flood level. The design also incorporates an open concourse beneath the building to allow the passage of floodwater.”

Comment has been sought from Easts.

In the assessment report, Urbis says the development is necessary because the club’s current clubhouse is no longer fit for purpose.

The new pavilion is designed for flood resilience. Credit: Cox Architecture

“The overall design of the development has a simplicity that lends itself to the utilisation of passive principles and basic materials requiring minimal attention and maximising longevity,” Urbis says.

“As the building is suspended to allow floodwaters to run freely under the building, it will also minimise the built footprint on the land, with the use of piers or dwarf walls.

“Further, all services can also be suspended on the main-level slab, enabling easy access and maintenance, in addition to protection from inundation.”

Heath Park is about 2.5 kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD.Credit: Cox Architecture

Urbis says the new single-storey clubhouse and pavilion would require a “collaborative funding approach” involving all three levels of government.

It would feature new administrative areas, change rooms, a food and beverage outlet, a multipurpose room, a gym/rehab room, amenities, and spectator seating and viewing areas. Existing car parks and sports fields would not change.

In addition to a “fit-for-purpose” facility for men’s and women’s National Premier Leagues and Football Queensland Premier League competitions, Urbis says the redevelopment would be of FIFA standard to host international teams to train for major events.

In the joint Football Australia/Football Queensland submission to the state government’s 100-day Olympic infrastructure review, the governing bodies warned there were insufficient training venues in Brisbane to host squads for the men’s and women’s Olympic soccer competitions.

After meeting with the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority’s review team in January, Football Queensland chief executive Rob Cavallucci said the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup highlighted some significant gaps.

“We did struggle to procure compliant training bases that serviced just four teams,” he said.

At last year’s Paris Games, there were 16 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams. The women’s program is widely expected to expand by 2032.

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