Create | Birkdale Community Precinct

Redland City Council was not asked at its general meeting today (17 August, 2022) to approve earthworks and the “first stages” for the Birkdale Community Precinct (BCP) site.

Reporting of that as published on couriermail.com.au at 6.40am on Wednesday 17 August 2022 is incorrect.

At today’s meeting Council endorsed a community engagement summary report for the Draft BCP Master Plan and confirmed the preferred process for statutory planning of the site.

The $34 million mentioned in the article is a $34.5million carry over of capital funds not spent last financial year and is across all of council capital works. As it is a carry over there is no additional cost to ratepayers.

A total of $147,922 from the $34.5 million carried over will be used for restoration work at Willards Farm this financial year.

In the 2022/2023 Council Budget, $12.7 million was already allocated to fund the next stage of Birkdale Community Precinct.

The couriermail.com.au article also incorrectly reports that the Federal Government “gave the land to Council”. In fact, Council purchased the land from the Commonwealth in late 2019 for $4.1 million to bring it into public ownership.

Further still, the article incorrectly refers to the 45-page community engagement summary report as an “in-house” report. In fact, it was completed by a third party external engagement expert.

The article also gets the year of the engagement campaign wrong. It was this year (2022) not last year as reported. Council held an extensive five-week community engagement campaign from 30 April to 6 June 2022 to gather community feedback on the Draft BCP Master Plan.

The results of an extensive five-week community engagement campaign conducted by Redland City Council have confirmed strong support for what is being delivered at Birkdale Community Precinct (BCP).

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the campaign was held from 30 April to 6 June 2022 to gather community feedback on the Draft BCP Master Plan.

The results were included in an independently prepared engagement summary report which was adopted at the 17 August, 2022, Council general meeting.

“During the consultation period, an online survey asked if BCP provided the right mix of facilities, spaces and activities. Overall, the majority of respondents agreed with the draft master plan directions,” Cr Williams said.

“On average, three out of four respondents to the online survey conducted during the campaign, agreed or strongly agreed with what the Draft BCP Master Plan was proposing.”

Cr Williams said the survey results also showed a clear indication that the precinct will be visited regularly with general day-to-day activities being for recreation, meeting friends, using the public swimming lagoon, birthday and other parties and for personal fitness.

Located along Old Cleveland Road East at Birkdale and bordered in part by Tingalpa Creek, BCP is the largest, most encompassing and diverse community project ever delivered by Council for Redlands Coast.

Council will take a whole-of-precinct approach for the next major delivery stage of BCP.

“To address and protect the site’s significant environmental, ecological, cultural and heritage values, while delivering the diverse assets as detailed in the draft master plan, will be a very interconnected and complex process,” Cr Williams said.

“If the statutory planning approaches are not undertaken in a cohesive manner there will be potential for delivery, cost and integration risks leading to piecemeal and low-quality development outcomes.”

Also at the 17 August general meeting, Council resolved that a Local Government Infrastructure Designation (LGID) be prepared for BCP in accordance with the Planning Act 2006, Planning Regulation 2017 and the Ministers Guidelines and Rules 2020.

The overall delivery of BCP is based on a 20-year development timeframe with three core time periods, Cr Williams said.

“Although a relatively long period for overall delivery, the decision to commence the required statutory planning in 2022 is to ensure that the first major stage of BCP is open to the public in early 2027, with a possibility that some smaller parts of the precinct, such as Willards Farm, may be accessible to the public earlier,” she said.

“Council intends to involve and inform the community at all possible opportunities. This will be above and beyond the required statutory notifications and will, in general, have to do with specific communications campaigns around individual planning applications – allowing the public access to appropriate documentation and plans, and soliciting their input.

“We have already shown how willing we are to make this project first and foremost about community.

“Council has now conducted two extensive community engagement campaigns as well as launching a Local Partnerships Program, all of which were non-statutory; meaning that Council was not obliged under any legislation – apart from its own resolution – to undertake any of these engagement or feedback activities.”

The Local Partnerships Program (LPP) – commenced before and continued throughout the community engagement period, Cr Williams said. Nine pilot projects directly related to the precinct were established under the LPP with community and youth groups working on various topics such as recycling, storytelling and well-being.

“The LPP is a way for Council to build successful and long-term partnerships with community, business and youth, based around the intergenerational project that is BCP,” she said.

Council had planned two Info Days to be held onsite at Birkdale during the engagement campaign, unfortunately they had to be cancelled due to weather events.

Two exciting intergenerational projects are at the heart of Redland City Council’s $396 million 2022-23 Budget.

In handing down the 2022-2023 Budget, Mayor Karen Williams said Councillors were committed to delivering the projects local families had been asking for.

“This year’s Budget is all about delivering for today while also planning for tomorrow,” Cr Williams said.

“Local families will be the real winners with two key intergenerational projects set to deliver public water parks, sporting fields and plenty of space to enjoy the naturally wonderful Redlands Coast.

“This includes Birkdale Community Precinct (BCP), the largest, most exciting and diverse community project ever delivered for Redlands Coast.

“Council has just finished consultation on the Draft BCP Master Plan and now this Budget allocates $12.7 million to fund the next stage, which includes the restoration of the Willards Farm building.

“When complete, BCP will include a public swimming lagoon, entertainment and innovation Hubs.

“It will be our version of South Bank and Victoria Park all rolled into one and will be enjoyed by generations of Redlanders.

"This year’s Budget also includes an initial $15 million funding towards Stage 1 of the Redlands Coast Regional Sport and Recreation Precinct at Mount Cotton, which will give our cycling and BMX stars of tomorrow somewhere to participate in the sports they love.

“The complex multi-stage and multi-year project, being developed in a globally challenging environment, will also give families and visitors a great new location in the south of the city to enjoy the naturally wonderful Redlands Coast with an exciting play experience, picnic areas and trails and bike activity area.

“The play space includes a water play area for cooling down on a hot summer's day, designed to reflect the environmental story of this wonderful site.”

Cr Williams said the Budget, delivered during a time of rising costs, reduced revenue and high inflation, included funding for other major, long-term projects.

“This includes more than $20 million for the duplication of Wellington Street/Panorama Drive to help ease congestion, $5 million for the Weinam Creek project and $4.41 million towards the Southern Moreton Bay Ferry Terminals Upgrade for Lamb and Karragarra Islands,” she said.

Cr Williams said Council was able to commit to these exciting projects because of its strong cash reserves.

“It is important to point out that these projects will be funded through cash reserves as a priority over general rates, reducing the burden on ratepayers," she said.

“So while other councils are being forced to cut projects due to external cost pressures, the money we have saved over previous years means we can deliver the projects residents have been asking us for."

AITC students may be developing virtual ideas for Birkdale Community Precinct, but they are based in a real-world interest in partnering with Redland City Council as it delivers the largest and most diverse community project ever for the city.

A team of four Year 10 Australian Industry Trade College (AITC) Redlands campus students have been working on a VR program as part of Council’s pilot partnerships program for Birkdale Community Precinct (BCP).

Redland City Deputy Mayor Julie Talty dropped in on one of the trade college’s workshops this week and was impressed by the students’ work.

“This really is an excellent opportunity for the college to literally be part of the reality that is Birkdale Community Precinct,” Cr Talty said.

“The students’ project is focussed on the college’s future use of the precinct for multiple subjects – such as excursions, learning about Redlands pioneers and World War II history, as well as design of built form, landscape, playgrounds, agriculture and so on.

“Having the youth of Redlands Coast involved in this precinct’s creation has been an important and satisfying achievement for Council and the community.

“What I am particularly impressed with is how the work of these students will be carried forward by and for future student years.”

AITC Team Leader Erin Zammit said the students – William Palmer, Joshua Weeks, Devlin Burrows-Andrews and Hudson Vella – had learnt how to use a virtual reality program and then uploaded the BCP fly-through video, made additions and set it up in its own room on display.

“What they decided to do was to use VR to educate the rest of the student body on the benefits of the BCP to the whole school,” Ms Zammit said.

“So the idea is that from next year and ongoing into the future, if for example the students are asked to design a community space on their computer for an assignment, they design, then insert it on to the VR fly-through, they then can see how it looks in the overall site.

“This is very helpful for the BCP as it means that young people are not only aware, but also engaged with the BCP. For them, it means they can visualise exactly how their designs might work in its environment.

“This mutual benefit obviously has a positive knock on effect for employment in Redlands.

“On a more subtle level, it has the social benefit of increased self-esteem as the students feel connected to an exciting, vibrant project that they and their friends will enjoy.”

The AITC team is one of nine groups developing projects for the Birkdale Community Partnerships Program. The others are:

• Bayside District Amateur Radio Society (interactive radio communications)
• Redland Bayside Child & Family Support Hub / Playgroup Qld (ecology-based activities)
• EcoUnity (observation tower proposal)
• Redland Museum (theatrical presentation)
• Rotary Club of Cleveland (recycling and sustainability)
• TRACTION (bicycle recycling and youth empowerment)
• Wellington Point State High School (visual art)
• Wynnum Redlands Canoe Club (fitness, recreation and celebrating Tingalpa Creek)

Several of the groups will be presenting their projects in Cleveland Library Square, Middle Street Cleveland, this Sunday, 5 June from 9am.

Meanwhile, time is running out in the current opportunity for the community to have its say on the Draft Birkdale Community Precinct (BCP) Master Plan with consultation closing at midnight on Monday, 6 June 2022.

Pictured left to right: AITC Team Leader Erin Zammit, students Devlin Burrows-Andrews and William Palmer, Cr Julie Talty, Redlands AITC Campus Manager Damian Watt and student Joshua Weeks.

A Council commissioned report has shown the ongoing social benefits set to be delivered by Birkdale Community Precinct.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the report – Beyond the Boundary: Unlocking the enduring social value of the Birkdale Community Precinct (April 2022, Jacobs) – was helping lay the foundations for the once-in-a-lifetime project.

“This is the largest and most exciting project in our city’s history and we are committed to ensuring it delivers lasting legacies for generations of Redlanders,” Cr Williams said.

“This report shows the social benefits to be delivered through the project including increased community health and recreation as well as economic benefits and local jobs.”

Cr Williams said the lasting project benefits were built off the back of the Redlands Whitewater Centre, which would be a host venue for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“A project of this scale is only possible with investment from other levels of government and that investment is secured through the Redlands Coast whitewater venue,” Cr Williams said.

“Without the whitewater venue we couldn’t deliver our city’s first public lagoon and the exciting social benefits outlined in this report.”

Cr Williams said social value came from such benefits as inclusion, health and wellbeing, and connectedness to other people.

“You achieve this by providing ways to engage with historic buildings; by having high quality open spaces and green spaces; by having meeting spaces and areas for families; and to even simpler things like having cycling and walking trails,” she said.

“The Cultural Hub and Entertainment Hub have large open green spaces, as do parts of the Communications Hub and the surrounds of the public swimming lagoon in the Recreation and Sports Hub. Additionally, the Willards Farm (Food) Hub has a traditional Victorian garden to explore and enjoy.

“Additionally there will be ongoing opportunities for the community to be part of the precinct through training and apprenticeships; access to plenty of all abilities sport and recreational facilities; and increased access to other environmental and cultural experiences.”

The Beyond the Boundary report informs the Draft Birkdale Community Precinct (BCP) Master Plan which outlines how the 62-hectare precinct will be brought to life over the next 20 years. The Plan is currently open for community consultation, running until 6 June, 2022.

Wellington Point State High School students have developed a creative way to present the stories of Birkdale Community Precinct as part of Redland City Council’s pilot partnerships program for the site.

Mayor Karen Williams, who dropped in on one of the school’s Encore Art Program workshops recently, said the students were painting timber discs with images to reflect elements of the precinct’s history.

You can watch the video here

“Birkdale Community Precinct is all about celebrating our past while providing for our future Redlanders, so to see our students involved in the project is very exciting,” Cr Williams said.

“They are using a diverse collection of timber that originated from across Birkdale, such as trees felled by storms and the like.

“The students took their artistic inspiration from a visit to the Willards Farm site last month, so there is a real connection with the site and the messages being shared.

“This artwork will eventually take pride of place on the precinct for the community to enjoy.”

Wellington Point State High’s Encore Art Program, under the direction of art teacher Tamara Beale (pictured far left back with her students and Cr Williams, far right) is one of nine groups developing projects for the Birkdale Community Partnerships Program.

Of the groups, four are schools or youth groups.

“These young people have been taken through a visioning workshop to understand the opportunities at Birkdale Community Precinct and to develop their ideas for the site,” Cr Williams said. “What these groups have come up with is sensational.”

The other groups in the program are:

• Bayside District Amateur Radio Society (interactive radio communications)
• Redland Bayside Child & Family Support Hub / Playgroup Qld (ecology-based activities)
• EcoUnity (observation tower proposal)
• Redland Museum (theatrical presentation)
• Rotary Club of Cleveland (recycling and sustainability)
• TRACTION (bicycle recycling and youth empowerment)
• Australian Industry Trade College (virtual reality in trade sector)
• Wynnum Redlands Canoe Club (fitness, recreation and celebrating Tingalpa Creek)

The Redland Whitewater Centre at Birkdale will not in any way be affected by heritage listing of a site 600m away.

There are no State or local heritage constraints on the section of the Birkdale Community Precinct set aside for the Redland Whitewater Centre.

Reporting of that in The Courier-Mail on Tuesday 3 May 2022 is incorrect.

The whitewater centre is 600m away from the heritage-listed Willards Farmhouse and is located at the opposite end of the precinct (see map below).

The entire precinct site is huge – 62 hectares – and will be one of the largest community spaces in South East Queensland.

In addition, two-thirds – or 40 hectares – of the Birkdale Community Precinct is protected conservation land.

Council saved Willards Farmhouse and continues to protect it

Redland City Council has always been the protector of Willards Farmhouse and supports its inclusion, including outbuildings, into the Queensland Heritage Register

Importantly Council is not wanting to reverse the gazetted heritage listing, but is appealing a part of the listing in response to an expanded boundary beyond the immediate farm complex.

Council’s submission reflected that of the State Government’s own heritage experts and our own independent heritage experts – that the farmhouse and outbuildings are the areas with State heritage value.

In fact Council saved Willards Farmhouse from being demolished for housing when we bought it in 2016.

Separately we also purchased the neighbouring property (where the whitewater venue will be located) in 2019 after a decade of lobbying the Federal Government who had earmarked the land as potentially accommodating 400 houses.

Redland City Council has adopted the largest and most exciting draft masterplan in the city’s history, with draft plans for the Birkdale Community Precinct getting the greenlight from Councillors at a Special Meeting today.

Read the Draft Birkdale Community Precinct Master Plan

Complete the survey

Mayor Karen Williams said the Draft Birkdale Community Precinct (BCP) Master Plan outlined an exciting concept for the 62-hectare site on Old Cleveland Road East at Birkdale over the next two decades. “It will be one of the largest community spaces in South-East Queensland, and will include a Southbank-style public lagoon that the community has been asking for over many years,” Cr Williams said.

“It will also include restoration of the heritage-listed Willards Farmhouse and outbuildings, the heritage-listed former World War II Radio Receiving Station and the Redlands Whitewater Centre, which will be a host venue during the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as a host of entertainment and recreational facilities.

“Birkdale Community Precinct is the largest and most diverse project of its kind ever delivered in the city and the Draft Master Plan shows what a truly superb showcase it is going to be for all of Redlands Coast.

“Flanked by conservation areas that represent some two thirds of the entire site, the Plan reveals seven Hubs which have been centred on what the community told us they wanted on the site during consultation last year.

“Some of the Hubs offer education, inspiration, adventure and activity, while others are more passive, offering quiet reflection on the surrounding landscape and affording relief from the urban environment.

“Although intrinsically connected, each offers a unique destination with its own experiences and uses.”

Cr Williams said the draft masterplan followed a decade of lobbying the Federal Government to secure the land for the community.

“We have been trying to secure this land so it can be preserved and enjoyed by the community, including meetings with no fewer than six Ministers and Assistant Ministers and two Prime Ministers,” Cr Williams said.

“We knew this property held exciting potential for the community and today is a red-letter day that will help us realise that potential.”

Community consultation on the next stage in the creation of Birkdale Community Precinct opens Saturday 30 April and will continue until 6 June through the project’s Your Say website as well as via two community Info Days to be held onsite on 27 and 28 May.

“This is a chance for the community to provide feedback on the concept plans for the site, which were created following community feedback last year,” Cr Williams said.

“I’m particularly excited that our young people have played a key role in shaping this draft plan and are responsible for some of the most exciting elements including the public lagoon.

“Council has opted to include a public lagoon rather than an aquatic centre in response to feedback from the community who have been calling for a South Bank style lagoon for years.

“Instead we will focus on upgrading the existing Cleveland aquatic centre.”

Cr Williams said the Hubs are defined in the Plan as follows:

1. Cultural Hub – A meeting point and launching pad for all the precinct has to offer. A melting pot and learning place for ecological and cultural information.
2. Willards Farm (Food) Hub – With the historic Willards Farm as its centrepiece, this is where you can connect with the area’s farming heritage and where you can sample artisan produce or dine in style.
3. Innovation Hub – A showcase, literally, where the future of farm methodologies and techniques, agricultural technology and food production, is on display in static and interactive exhibition spaces.
4. Communications Hub – Anchored by the former US Army-built World War II Radio Receiving Station, this is where you can connect to the past, come to understand the bonds formed between Redlanders, Aussie troops and Allied US forces, and pay homage to their war and peace-keeping services.
5. Entertainment Hub – Touring artists and local performers share outdoor spaces in an ever-changing composite of community choruses, concerts, crowds and creatives. BBQs, picnic areas and tables, oversized games and outdoor movies add to the fun.
6. Recreation & Adventure Sports Hub – Redlands Coast’s first public lagoon will be the ultimate summer destination as will the adventure playground. Nearby, the whitewater centre will be home to Olympic and Paralympic athletes and adventure enthusiasts alike with its world-class training and competition course which has flexibility for use as a swift-water rescue training and exercise venue.
7. Conservation Hub – Walking trails, interactive tours, wilderness experiences and education combine in a stunning showcase of ways to appreciate the valuable and protected natural habitats.

“The tagline for this next phase of Birkdale Community Precinct’s growth is, ‘Create a place with a space for everyone’,” Cr Williams said.

“And I encourage you to help Council along on the creation process by giving your feedback on the Plan.”

DIARY NOTE:

Birkdale Community Precinct Info Days, 302 Old Cleveland Road East, Birkdale, Friday, 27 May & Saturday, 28 May, 10am to 4pm both days. Entry via Jones Road.

Redland City Council is progressing exciting plans to upgrade the historic Willards Farmhouse, to ensure the community can access and celebrate the historic building.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said Councillors today discussed Council’s plans for the property, including the potential impact of the recent decision by the Queensland Heritage Council (QHC) to extend the footprint of the property’s heritage protections.

VIDEO: Redland City Mayor Karen Williams and Stephen Sims from Sims White Architects discuss the restoration of Willards Farm. Watch the video here

“Council is committed to protecting the Willards Farm homestead, which is why we spent $1.45 million in 2016 to save it from being demolished for housing,” Cr Williams said.

“Our decision to buy the property came after the Queensland Heritage Council refused a 2015 heritage application because they felt it did not have State heritage values, leaving us with no choice but to buy the property to protect its local heritage value.

“Council believes the Willards Farmhouse itself does have heritage values, which is why we added it to our City Plan local Heritage Places Register in June 2016 and it is also why we have well-advanced plans to upgrade the property.

“We want to work with the State Government to ensure our plans for the Willards Farm homestead can proceed and so Council officers will lodge a notice of appeal to the QHC decision of 22 March, so we can sit down with the State Government and work through these plans.”

Cr Williams said Council’s decision would also allow officers to understand the reasons for the QHC decision.

“During the application process, State DES officers recommended a much smaller boundary be included, similar to what Council would like to see protected,” Cr Williams said.

“Despite the recommendation by State officers and having not visited or inspected the site, the QHC decided to increase the heritage boundary from around 0.8 hectares to about 4.2 hectares, a decision that is not supported by independent heritage consultants working on the heritage management of the site or by DES heritage officer recommendations.”

Cr Williams said Willards Farm would form part of the 62-hectare Birkdale Community Precinct and its restoration was an integral part of delivering this intergenerational site for the Redlands Coast community.

“We are making it into the jewel that it rightly deserves to be in the Birkdale Community Precinct crown,” she said.

“It is imperative we are able to fully deliver the exciting future planned for Williards Farm under the soon to be released Draft Birkdale Community Precinct Master Plan, which was informed by ideas suggested by the community.”

Council has commissioned Sims White Architects to prepare detailed design and construction drawings including detailed cost estimates to support future restoration works for Willards Farm.

“Council is looking to fund $1.5 million towards the restoration in the upcoming Budget and, following today’s decision, officers will work with their State counterparts to ensure plans for the property can proceed, including identifying State funding opportunities.

“Council is the only stakeholder that has invested considerable funds to save this property and remains committed to the protection and restoration of the Willards farm complex using an appropriate heritage boundary.”

Click here to fill out the Draft Birkdale Community Precinct Master Plan survey