A Chat About Future Plans for Brisbane and the Gold Coast
Brisbane is the largest city in Queensland and the seat of the state government, while the Gold Coast is an economically developed, scenic tourist city. The two cities are relatively close and are often regarded as a metropolitan cluster.
Brisbane
Over the next 20 years, Brisbane City Council plans to add another 50 commercial towers in the CBD area to meet growing demand.
According to the Courier-Mail, the council's latest City Centre Neighbourhood Plan reveals that the inner city is expected to gain 80,000 jobs in the future, requiring an additional 800,000 square metres of office space.
At the same time, demand for public transport into Brisbane's CBD will rise by 80%, while the number of pedestrian trips will double.
Authorities have removed height limits for buildings in Brisbane's CBD, and building heights now only need to comply with aviation controls. Meanwhile, the government still encourages new building structures and their exterior designs to harmonise with Brisbane's subtropical climate, and also encourages designs that make creative use of laneways, corridors and small spaces.
The plan has been approved by the Queensland Government and officially took effect on 24 March 2018. City planning chair Julian Simmonds said the plan will guide the growth of commercial and residential buildings within the CBD, meeting anticipated population and economic needs.
Simmonds said, "The plan assumes the resident population of the central city will double over the next 20 years; and before 2031, the number of workers will increase from 150,000 to 230,000."
The Labor opposition, meanwhile, said they are concerned about the ongoing decline of heritage buildings in the area, arguing that old buildings could be repurposed to meet new needs rather than being completely demolished and rebuilt.
Gold Coast
Some worried that the close of the Commonwealth Games would bring the Gold Coast's booming growth momentum to a sudden halt. But a new report is set to dispel those concerns. The Urbis report found that the Gold Coast and surrounding areas will still deliver A$10.5 billion worth of infrastructure projects, as well as A$20 billion in residential development projects.
Projects yet to be built include stage three of the Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads light rail line, stage two of the Gold Coast Airport master plan, and the large-scale upgrade of Bundall Rd. Urbis senior consultant Lynda Campbell said spending is highest in the transport sector at A$4.2 billion, followed by tourism projects such as hotels, motels and theme parks at A$2.2 billion.
Other major areas of infrastructure spending include: retail (A$1.45 billion), retirement villages and aged-care facilities (A$952 million), and healthcare facilities (A$737 million). Major projects not yet fully delivered include the A$1 billion Coomera Town Centre shopping centre, the A$385 million Gold Coast Cultural Precinct, and stage two of the Gold Coast Private Hospital, valued at A$50 million. Ray White Surfers Paradise chief executive Andrew Bell said there are still plenty of projects to be built following the close of the Commonwealth Games.
For the Gold Coast, future projects will be implemented strongly and firmly, with a large amount of infrastructure planned across every area in the medium to long term. The Gold Coast's population is continually growing, and a series of residential projects will help meet housing demand, including the A$1 billion Jewel project at Surfers Paradise, the A$1 billion Pacific View Estate project inland, and the Gainsborough Greens project developed by Mirvac in the Gold Coast's northern corridor with an investment of A$1.3 billion.
"Due to strong population growth and a shortage of new housing and apartment supply entering the market over the past decade, housing demand on the Gold Coast is very high," Bell said. "In many ways, we are catching up with regions such as Sydney and Melbourne, which have experienced enormous price growth and development, whereas on the Gold Coast, growth has been more moderate and enduring."
Source: CourierMail