Create | Birkdale Community Precinct

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

A total of nine Redlands Coast groups have been successful in gaining seed funding to help develop their ideas for community-focussed activities at Birkdale Community Precinct.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the variety and creativity of the proposals submitted to the pilot Birkdale Community Partnerships Program were an exciting reminder of the multitude of uses the 62-hectare site would boast going forward.

“The successful applicants will now work on their concepts to a stage where they can be tested onsite at this year’s upcoming Birkdale Community Precinct Info Days,” Cr Williams said.

“From visual art to virtual reality, from cycling to recycling, the ideas really enforce the aim of this program, which is to achieve positive long-term social, environmental and economic impacts from the community’s interaction with the precinct now and over generations to come.

“This collaboration between Council and community is among plans being created for the community to get onto, use and enjoy Birkdale Community Precinct as opportunities arise.”

Seed funding amounts of $500 to $1000 for community groups and $2000 for schools and youth groups were available.

The successful applicants and their areas of interest are:

COMMUNITY GROUPS

• 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)

SCHOOL/YOUTH GROUPS

• TRACTION (bicycle recycling and youth empowerment)
• Wellington Point State High School (visual arts installation)
• Australian Industry Trade College (virtual reality in trade sector)
• Wynnum Redlands Canoe Club (fitness, recreation and celebrating Tingalpa Creek)

Work will start this week to remove invasive weeds and minor regrowth from parts of the 62-hectare Birkdale Community Precinct that are outside the approximately 40-hectare conservation area.

This is part of Council’s stewardship commitment to undertake environmental and land management to best practice within the precinct at 390 Old Cleveland Road East at Birkdale, informed by expert advice.

A recent ecological study by consultancy group Cardno identified weed species that needed to be removed including self-sown slash pines which were spreading on the precinct to the detriment of its natural habitat.

Vegetation maintenance work on the precinct, such as the weed removal, is guided by an independently commissioned site-specific Ecological Assessment Report and supporting land management plan.

Cardno Senior Principal (Ecology) David Wassman said the slash pine trees, which are native to south-eastern USA and regarded as environmental weeds in Queensland, needed to be removed.

“If left to spread across the site they can take over and potentially outcompete the native species,” Mr Wassman said, adding that most of the pines were growing outside of the precinct’s identified Conservation areas which covers approximately 40 hectares or roughly two-thirds of the site.

“Once removed, the area they were in can be used for beneficial purposes for the community. And then there is a lot of the effort to be done in terms of rehabilitation and conservation in the remainder of the site.

“In the Conservation areas you have to control weeds, enhance the native vegetation that is there and ultimately get increased flora diversity, meaning a better habitat for fauna.”

Work is expected to be ongoing into April.

Mr Wassman and Ranger Stacey explain more in this video.

The next big idea that could help shape the future of Birkdale Community Precinct is on its way!

A wide representation of schools, youth groups and the community have submitted their applications for Redland City Council’s new Birkdale Community Partnerships Program to help bring their ideas to life within the emerging precinct along Old Cleveland Road East at Birkdale.

Mayor Karen Williams said seed funding would be available to successful applicants under the initiative launched in February 2022.

“The response to last year’s community engagement campaign for the Vision stage of Birkdale Community Precinct was phenomenal,” Cr Williams said.

“Council listened to the community’s aspirations for the future of this beautiful 62-hectare piece of land and consequently a draft master plan is being finalised for release this year.

“One of the messages we received was that the community wanted to stay involved with the process. In response, we launched the pilot Community Partnerships program.

“This partnership between Council and community groups will be a way of testing out some of those great ideas for the site in a practical way at the next Community Open Days later this year.

“Seed funding amounts of $500 to $1000 for community groups and $2000 for schools will be available for successful applicants who have a project idea for the precinct.

“These could take the form of workshops, stalls, activations, pop-ups or activities and can relate to a range of themes including innovation, culture, communication, adventure and recreation, entertainment, conservation or agriculture.”

Applications are now closed and successful applicants will be announced in coming weeks.

One of Redlands Coast’s oldest surviving farms and residences which was saved by Redland City Council in 2016 from being demolished and subdivided into housing has been recommended for entry into the Queensland Heritage Register.

Willards Farm, built during the periods of the 1860s to 1910s, was bought by Council in March 2016 and entered into the local Heritage Places Register in June of the same year.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said Willards Farm at 302 Old Cleveland Road East, Birkdale, represented a core value within the 62-hectare Birkdale Community Precinct and is a centre-point for the precinct’s current stage of draft master planning.

“The Department of Environment and Science has recommended Willards Farm be entered into the Queensland Heritage Register (QHR) with the Queensland Heritage Council (QHC) expected to make the final decision by March this year,” Cr Williams said.

Cr Williams said Council had identified Willards Farm and all heritage values in the Birkdale Community Precinct as being a priority for protection in the site’s draft master planning.

“We have been and we will continue to manage heritage values within the precinct appropriately,” she said.

“In 2021, Council commissioned an updated Conservation Heritage Management Plan which informs the best ways to protect and restore the heritage values of Willards Farm.

“The original Willards homestead and some original surrounding buildings, such as the milking shed and creamery, are still standing and help to define the whole precinct in terms of our city’s European pioneer history.

“This is such a well-loved and important property. It will no doubt become a jewel in the crown of Birkdale Community Precinct as we go forward.”

Cr Williams said Council budgeted $250,000 in the 2021/22 financial year to undertake primarily detailed design works for the restoration of Willards Farm and is appointing a heritage architect to undertake this work, in preparation for its restoration. The work was temporarily halted during the QHR consideration process.

Division 10 Councillor Paul Bishop said Council was committed to protecting Willards Farm due to its significance for the community.

“This is quite a remarkable property which offers our community many more layers of value and significance than appears at first glance,” Cr Bishop said.

“It is a portal into our pioneer past with a wealth of stories, lessons and knowledge to impart, including stories of connection with First Nations People and South Sea Islander labourers. It also remains a place that can be enjoyed, treasured and celebrated by generations to come.”

This is the second time an application has been made to the DES to enter the property into the QHR, with an ultimately unsuccessful submission being made in July 2015. Both applications were made by the Birkdale Progress Association. QHC has the discretion to make a decision which differs from the current DES recommendation.

Maintenance work and an updated Conservation Management Plan (Heritage) are underway for the historic heritage-protected Willards Farm as its future place within Birkdale Community Precinct begins to take shape.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said a program of works was being prepared around future restoration priorities for the site, which is one of the oldest surviving farms and residences on Redlands Coast, believed to date back to the 1870s.

“Works were completed recently to help stabilise the structural integrity of the farmhouse’s main supports,” Cr Williams said.

“This is such a well-loved and important property in terms of our city’s European history and it will no doubt become a jewel in the crown of Birkdale Community Precinct as we go forward.

“On-site investigations have been completed as part of developing the updated conservation management plan for Willards Farm.

“There also will be maintenance work carried out on some of the farm’s significant trees in coming months.”

Cr Williams said that as well as Willards Farm, Birkdale Community Precinct’s protected heritage areas included the former World War II radio receiving station built in 1943 by the US Army Signals Corp and its associated rhombic array of radio antennas.

“The heritage values of this precinct are incredibly important, genuinely fascinating and will be protected,” Cr Williams said.

Division 10 Councillor Paul Bishop said Willards Farm, aka The Pines, held a special place in both history and the heart of the Birkdale community.

“There are so many heritage values tied up in this place, there are gateways to knowledge and ongoing stories of significance yet to be explored here,” Cr Bishop said.

The original homestead and surrounding buildings, such as the milking shed and creamery, help to anchor the entire Birkdale Community Precinct within its early European and pioneer context.

“The place is of so much value to future generations it cannot be underestimated.

“The structures were built by the Willards using simple bush carpentry techniques made from local timbers felled on site, including white beech, swamp beech, cedar and pine.

“The exact date the homestead was constructed is uncertain but it was likely around 1876 when owners James and Margaret Willard took out a mortgage on the land they had owned and farmed since 1865.”

Cr Williams said Council bought the property at 302 Old Cleveland Road East, Birkdale, in March 2016 following community concern that the site was subject to a development approval for subdivision into residential allotments.

“Once Willards Farm was saved, Council worked long and hard to negotiate the purchase of the neighbouring 61-hectares of Commonwealth land,” she said.

“The Commonwealth had indicated this land was tagged as surplus. As such, it also was in threat of being subdivided into residential allotments, with the Government suggesting it could accommodate 400 houses.

“Council managed to secure the purchase of the land in December 2019.

“The combined properties now form Birkdale Community Precinct.

“It is such a large property that a large number of uses and facilities can be accommodated without impacting on the precinct’s heritage values.

“Other uses will also bring attention and appreciation to the heritage-listed sites that it contains.”

Cr Williams said a vision document for the precinct was currently being prepared and would be presented to Council shortly.

“The document will include high level, aspirational concepts for Willards Farm and its surrounding land to reflect ideas as suggested by the community during Council’s seven-week community engagement program earlier this year,” she said

Some of the ideas put forward for Willards Farm by the community include ventures such as farmers’ market place, bush food gardens, a café or restaurant, paddock-to-plate dining experiences, and an agrifarm experience demonstrating traditional and contemporary farming methods.

Further community consultation will occur at the master planning stage, Cr Williams said.