With our growing neighbourhood severely lacking in parkland and affordable housing, we’re fighting for the Woolloongabba Station precinct to be transformed into a much needed community space in the heart of Woolloongabba.
This 5.5 hectare site is currently publicly owned, and represents a huge opportunity. However, official visualisations suggest that the Labor Government are planning on privatising the site, and building a dozen 30-storey towers.
We’re fighting to keep this site in public hands to benefit the community, not big developers. Our alternative vision for the site includes parks and playgrounds, a community centre, local markets, stages and spaces for music and arts, public homes, a library and a public pool.
The site has been declared a ‘Priority Development Area’. This allows the State Government to ignore existing height limits and other requirements in the City Plan, and takes away all legal objection rights that residents or other stakeholders might otherwise have.
The Greens will instead fight to ensure the local community has control over what happens on this public site, not fake consultation.
Cr Jonathan Sri and his team have put together two alternative visions for the site, which you can look at here: www.jonathansri.com/crrstations
Have some ideas for what we could have at the Woolloongabba Station precinct? Email us at [email protected]
Imagine being able to walk over the river into Toowong, arriving in a beautiful public park on your way to the train station or the shops.
We’re calling on the State Government and the Brisbane City Council to jointly fund the proposed West End to Toowong bridge on a 50/50 basis.
Active transport infrastructure like this is what our growing neighbourhood needs to reduce traffic congestion and improve access between suburbs. This pedestrian and cycle bridge will be a huge asset to South Brisbane residents, giving people access to the Toowong train station and the Ipswich line, the Bicentennial Bikeway, parkland and shops.
Along with Michael Berkman, Greens MP for Maiwar, we are calling on the State Government to buy back the vacant block of land at 600 Coronation Drive, Toowong – the former ABC site – as a landing site for the bridge, and to be converted into public parkland. Read more and support this campaign here: https://www.michaelberkman.com.au/our_abc_site
You shouldn’t have to change buses twice to get from one side of town to another. We are calling for two new CityGlider routes, one running east–west from West End to Bulimba, and the other running north–south from Annerley to Fortitude Valley (through Kangaroo Point and Woolloongabba). These high frequency buses would help tackle congestion, and with free public transport, would save people hundreds of dollars every year.
The east–west Green CityGlider route would run from the West End ferry terminal, and turn around at the Bulimba roundabout where Oxford St meets Hawthorne Rd and Riding Rd. This route would connect two train stations – South Bank and the future Cross River Rail Gabba station. It would connect to several big schools, including West End State School, Brisbane State High, Somerville House and St Laurence’s College, Lourdes Hill College and Bulimba State School, giving students and staff a reliable all-weather public transport alternative to driving. It would provide a direct connection between West End’s high-density areas along Montague Rd, through the Boundary St commercial precinct to South Brisbane and Woolloongabba, without having to go in and out of the Cultural Centre bottleneck, and helping reduce congestion associated with events in the park (such as the Saturday morning markets).
The north–south Orange CityGlider route would fill one of the biggest gaps in inner-city Brisbane’s transport network, connecting Kangaroo Point, Annerley and Woolloongabba to major destinations in Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills. It also picks up quite a few school catchments along Ipswich Rd and Main St which currently generate a huge amount of peak-hour traffic. Our proposed Orange CityGlider route would run from Cracknell Rd, Annerley to Campbell St, Bowen Hills.
These route proposals are not final or definitive. We’re seeking feedback to create the best possible routes and bus stop locations. If you have feedback, please send us an email at: [email protected]
The 192 bus is one of the few buses that passes through Highgate Hill, connecting the City and UQ. However, the 192 is currently so infrequent and so often late that many locals don’t bother using it. The Greens will push to make the 192 a turn-up-and-go service. Instead of checking the timetable, commuters would be able to rely on getting a bus anytime, with frequent bus services running every 5-10 minutes between 5.30am and 11.30pm, 7 days a week. Our plan would make public transport a much more viable option for many thousands of residents, would help reduce traffic along Dornoch Tce, and provide a regular link to UQ for students and staff. With free public transport, this could save people hundreds of dollars every year.
West End needs a second CityCat terminal. At the moment, there is no terminal between Orleigh Park and South Bank, meaning so many West End residents have no way of catching the ferry. A new ferry terminal near Victoria st would connect locals to UQ, the City, and help reduce congestion along Montague Rd. With free public transport, this would also save people hundreds of dollars every year. If the CityCat terminal is a little closer to Davies Park, it can play a greater role in helping reduce congestion associated with events in the park (such as the Saturday morning markets).
The best location for a CityCat terminal should be determined based on a holistic masterplanning process of Riverside Drive, which takes into account future development, as well as other projects currently in the pipeline such as the West End-Toowong footbridge.
By re-claiming old industrial land along the Kurilpa Peninsula, we can create a beautiful, riverfront park, with playgrounds, dog parks, picnic areas, and kayak launches.
West End and South Brisbane are experiencing rapid population growth, but there hasn’t been any meaningful increase in parkland in decades. Given the importance of being close to open greenspace for families, for mental health, for people with pets and local habitat, securing this riverfront land – rather than letting it eventually be sold off to private developers – will be a legacy for the community for decades to come.
There are about 8 hectares of industrial sites along the riverfront, between Hockings St and Bouquet St. We’ll push the State Government to re-claim this industrial land, negotiating a land swap with existing businesses, and supporting workers to transition to a new location. Once cleared and rehabilitated, we would undertake community consultation to design parkland and facilities that meet the needs of local residents and the broader community.
Residents should be able to walk from a revitalised Mowbray Park, all the way around Kangaroo Point, and connect with the new Kangaroo Point footbridge, enjoying lookouts, seating and gardens along the way. But the State Government and Brisbane City Council have dropped the ball on this important piece of local infrastructure.
At the moment, there are only a few missing links between existing pathways that have already been completed. The State Government and Brisbane City Council should jointly fund these missing sections, rather than waiting years for private developers to do it. This would allow better access around Kangaroo Point and East Brisbane for people with impaired mobility, reduce conflicts between cyclists, cars and pedestrians and reduce traffic congestion by encouraging more people to use active transport.
The riverwalk would be designed with community consultation, and could include seating, kayak launching points, gardens and lookout points, as well as historical signage and information about the Brisbane River ecosystem. The riverwalk could also be designed with extra-wide footpaths and clearly delineated separation between pedestrians, slower-moving cyclists, and faster-moving bikes and e-scooter riders.
The completion of the riverwalk is an exciting opportunity to reinvigorate the peninsula, reduce many of the area’s existing traffic and connectivity issues, and open up more of the river to residents.
The new Boggo Road station opens an incredible opportunity for the Boggo Road Gaol to be transformed into a thriving arts and cultural hub in the heart of Dutton Park.
Existing visualisations for the Boggo Road station development indicate that there are plans for new developments on existing greenspace, and no plan for how the Goal itself could be preserved and used. We are fighting to keep the site in public hands and for a community vision for its redevelopment that respects the site's rich and important history.
The Boggo Road Gaol could be redeveloped with spaces for workshops, classes, markets, stages and gallery spaces, to provide space to artists, crafters, musicians and performing arts. These spaces could also be used by students at the neighbouring Dutton Park State School and Brisbane South Secondary State College. Surrounding greenspace should be preserved, and enriched with spaces for outdoor stages, playgrounds and picnic spaces.
Vulture St is a key east–west connector across the Gabba Ward, but riding between West End and Woolloongabba is currently dangerous and underused. Existing narrow footpaths can no longer safely accommodate rising numbers of cyclists and e-scooter riders, so it is imperative that council creates safe, separated bike lanes running along Vulture St from Montague Rd, West End to Christie St, South Brisbane. This would provide a direct connection to the Goodwill Bridge and to the new Woolloongabba Bikeway along Stanley Street.
Safer separated bike lanes are also needed along other main roads such as Montague Rd and Gladstone Rd, however we currently consider Vulture St to be the highest priority.
We are calling for an expansion to East Brisbane State School by purchasing commercial and industrial sites along Wellington Rd across from the existing school site. This will make space for much-needed new facilities, including more classrooms, a full-sized hall and gym, and larger outdoor play spaces, with connection over Wellington Road via overpasses, at an estimated cost of $35 million for construction and land acquisition.
East Brisbane State School is already nearing capacity and will need additional classroom space as early as next year. We know from other schools in the inner-city that Education Queensland has consistently under-estimated population growth and particularly underestimated the number of school-aged children who’ll live in apartments.
We’re also fighting for an extra $8 billion state-wide over four years to make state schools fully-funded and genuinely free, including $1 billion over four years to upgrade existing state schools and build new state schools in areas of need. Read more here: greens.org.au/qld/schools
We are calling for an expansion to East Brisbane State School by purchasing commercial and industrial sites along Wellington Rd across from the existing school site. This will make space for much-needed new facilities, including more classrooms, a full-sized hall and gym, and larger outdoor play spaces, with connection over Wellington Road via overpasses, at an estimated cost of $35 million for construction and land acquisition.
East Brisbane State School is already nearing capacity and will need additional classroom space as early as next year. We know from other schools in the inner-city that Education Queensland has consistently under-estimated population growth and particularly underestimated the number of school-aged children who’ll live in apartments.
We’re also fighting for an extra $8 billion state-wide over four years to make state schools fully-funded and genuinely free, including $1 billion over four years to upgrade existing state schools and build new state schools in areas of need. Read more here: greens.org.au/qld/schools
The O’Keefe St-Logan Rd roundabout needs to be upgraded to provide safe pedestrian and cycle access throughout Stones Corner and Buranda, and provide safe access for kids accessing Burana State School and Narbethong School.
While design would be finalised based on community consultation, acquiring vacant land to the West of Logan Road would allow for better and safer road alignment, allowing better access down Junction Street.
Residents in the eastern side of Highgate Hill currently have no walkable parkland or greenspace. We are proposing a new park in Highgate Hill, by covering over the stretch of train line near Gloucester St and Frith St in Highgate Hill.
There are many inner-city neighbourhoods where a train line runs through a suburb at slightly below ground level. We now have the technology, the resources and the engineering skills to cover over these stretches of train line with precast tunnels. These can then be covered with soil to create a new park. As the train line is controlled by the state government, this would be a joint project between the Brisbane City Council and State Government.
Some of the major benefits of covering over this stretch of track and converting it to public parkland include:
- Reduced noise pollution for surrounding residents
- Reduced air pollution for surrounding residents
- Turns a major barrier to wildlife movement into a wildlife corridor
- Provides a more direct pedestrian and bikeway link that reduces the need to climb up and down hills
- Depending on where they’re travelling, gives some local pedestrians an alternative route to avoid the difficult crossing at the intersection of Gloucester St and Stephens Rd
- And most importantly: creates over 11,500m2 of new public green space in an area where local parkland is in short supply
Read more about this project here: www.jonathansri.com/trainlinepark