BBQ RESCHEDULED FOR MONDAY 14th MARCH - GABBA WARD OFFICE, WOOLLOONGABBA

We’ve recently seen the development scheme for Boggo Road, which means it could be a little longer than we expected before we see the Gabba site plans.  The new Boggo Road precinct - just like the Gabba Cross River Rail site - represents a huge opportunity for the community, to get more green space and community facilities, all on public land, in public hands.

But the government's proposed plans for Boggo Road show something different. They're planning no additional green space, and potentially the privatisation of valuable inner-city land for private enterprises.  We’ve only seen really vague plans for the Gabba, but the plans for Boggo Road only make it seem more likely that the government will priortise private profits over community. 

For the Gabba site, it seems like the government is planning ‘open space’ (think King George Square instead of a park) and massive private high-rise development. 

It’s absolutely critical that we don’t let either of these rare inner-city sites be channeled into private hands. Public ownership for the public good is crucial, along with design that is driven by the community, for the community.

We could have a park at least as big as Raymond Park on the Gabba site, with seating, shade, and playgrounds. Alongside this big new park for Woolloongabba, we could fit hundreds of beautiful, medium-density social homes. The ground floor could include a child care centre, public library, a free bookable community hall, and a greengrocer.

Importantly, the site would stay in public hands, for public benefit. Rent from homes and shops would come back to the government, to re-invest in maintenance, new facilities, and services. 

But because the site is part of a 'Priority Development Area' (PDA), the community gets very little say. At the end of the day, the future of this site sits in the hands of the Planning Minister.  But as a community, we can push back. We can fight to secure public greenspace and transform both sites into thriving community hubs. 

Due to the flooding and wet weather - we have combined our community BBQ plans and Boggo Road information night. But these two sites and the community surrounding them are very interconnected, so it makes sense to talk about them together!   We're meeting at Jonno Sri's office in Woolloongabba at 6pm on Monday 14th March. 

Join us Monday night at Jonno Sri’s office to hear more about what’s happening on the Gabba and Boggo Road Cross River Rail precincts and share your thoughts on what you’d like to see.