Joint Statement: BLIGH DECLARES QLD'S FIRST URBAN DEVELOPMENT AREAS

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Joint Statement:

Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Paul Lucas
31/03/2008

BLIGH DECLARES QLD'S FIRST URBAN DEVELOPMENT AREAS

More south-east Queensland housing will be on the market sooner after Premier Anna Bligh today unveiled the State's first Urban Development Areas at Bowen Hills and Northshore Hamilton.

"Following the landmark legislation passed last year, the declaration of Queensland's first two Urban Land Development Areas is significant step towards getting land and housing on the market quickly.

"Queensland's toughest challenge in housing affordability is the lack of supply and these new areas will deliver housing for more than 30,000 Queenslanders.

"The ULDA will plan, manage and deliver these strategic sites to the market, cutting red tape and reducing the cost to industry of delivering housing.

"We expect to see these saving passed on to home buyers who will now have greater housing choices close to employment and transport," she said.

Ms Bligh said the commercial sector would also benefit from these Queensland-first areas.

"Brisbane's commercial office space is at a record low, the CBD market is the second tightest in the country behind Perth, with a vacancy rate of 0.7%.

"Early work undertaken at Bowen Hills indicates the potential for more than 300,000 square metres of commercial development. This additional office space will help ease the significant demands currently being experienced in inner-Brisbane.

Ms Bligh said development activity was expected to begin on the sites within a year.

"This will change Queensland's urban areas for the better and create world-class urban areas for future generations," she said.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas said the ULDA will contact all major landholders in the Bowen Hills and Northshore Hamilton areas.

"These development areas will be congestion busters, with a focus on public transport for residents and workers," said Mr Lucas

"The 108 hectare Bowen Hills site will be centred around a new, signature Bowen Hills railway station and bus exchange, as well as featuring high quality public spaces.

"Major landholders in the area include Queensland Newspapers the Royal National Association, Queensland Rail and Brisbane City Council.

"It not only features one of Brisbane's busiest railway stations, it is also ideally positioned to capitalise on overflow from the CBD office market and the area's existing media and health-related precincts could stamp Bowen Hills as a knowledge hub."

Northshore Hamilton is a 304 hectare site strategically located eight kilometres from the CBD, close to Brisbane's airport, the Gateway Motorway and Australia TradeCoast.

"The Northshore site will give the river back to the people, by turning old port buildings into a place to enjoy a walk next to the water," said Mr Lucas.

"Northshore Hamilton is ideally located to benefit from an extension to City Cat services.

"I am also very keen to look investigate extending the Doomben rail line into the development.

"It is currently under used and having more passengers could warrant an increase in services, which would benefit people in other areas along the line.

"I want to acknowledge the work Brisbane City Council and Port of Brisbane have already done to develop a draft Neighbourhood Plan for Northshore Hamilton. The ULDA will be building on this existing vision for the area."

Ms Bligh also announced today that Fitzgibbon and Mackay Urban Development Areas would be declard mid-year, and Woolloongabba later this year.

Monday, 31 March 2008

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No mention of light rail at all, what happened to the Smart State proposals when Mr Beattie was premier 

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From the Courier Mail 15th January 2009 page 18

Bowen Hills plan falters

Bowen Hills plan falters
John McCarthy

PLANS to turn inner-Brisbane Bowen Hills into the second central business district appear to have stumbled under pressure from the credit crunch, poor infrastructure and State Government cost demands.

The Urban Land Development Authority has not received any development applications for the 108ha suburb the State Government touted in October as a second CBD with towers of up to 30 storeys. This contrasts with five received for Northshore Hamilton and one for a large Fitzgibbon residential subdivision.

Development approval is at present restricted to a small number of major corporations including Queensland Rail, the RNA's Exhibition Grounds and Queensland Newspapers but these corporates are considered vital to redevelopment.

The ULDA said its plans were progressing but developers said there were big concerns over the huge cost of contributions demanded by the ULDA for infrastructure. Present regulations would force developers to share half their windfall gain in the land value that is created when rezoning allows for higher density. It is expected to raise contributions of about $75 million in Bowen Hills and $180 million for Northshore Hamilton.

ARIA Property's Tim Forrester said the ULDA had to be careful that its tax on development did not make a scheme unviable. He said the existing tax would mean development "would just not happen in the precinct". But he also said without improving personal safety at the railway station few companies would be interested because it would be too hard to attract staff.

Queensland Newspapers, publisher of The Courier-Mail, is under pressure to move from its Campbell St site because of Airport Link road resumption plans. QN managing director Jerry Harris said Bowen Hills had enormous potential.

"We are enthusiastic about being part of the renewal of this area, but we want to see other catalyst projects," he said. Mr Harris said QN did not want to redevelop without guarantees from the Government that the railway station would be upgraded. QN also wanted to see other corporations and services move to the area. ULDA chief executive Paul Eagles said he was confident development would go ahead. "The current economic climate could have an effect on how quickly development will occur in Northshore Hamilton and Bowen Hills as the property industry adjusts to the current circumstances." he said.