Building a Legacy After Brisbane’s Gabba Torn Down

Nearly 130 years after the first cricket match was played on the site of what would be The Gabba, the end has come for the iconic stadium. The demolition of the stadium, slated for after the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, was announced this week. But favouring Victoria Park for the Olympics stadium and the planned demolition of the Brisbane Cricket Ground could make way for something bigger and better for the area. Speaking to The Urban Developer at an event to mark the approval of Pellicano and Perri Projects’ fast-tracked tower at Woolloongabba, Queensland housing and public works minister for Housing and Public Works Sam O’Connor says that the future of the stadium area is on the government’s mind. While a 106ha site at Woolloongabba was already identified as a Priority Development Area by Economic Development Queensland in 2024, what happens to it after 2032 is still up in the air. “The future of the arena and The Gabba itself, that’ll be an ongoing discussion ... but that absolutely is on the table and it ’ s how we can deliver the legacy benefits,” O’Connor says. Pellicano approval The government is keen to attract private development to the Woolloongabba precinct as well as wider Olympics development sites across the state, and developers already operating in the area have long known of its potential. Pellicano head of property for Queensland Michael Kent says the newly approved South City Square 35-storey affordable and market build-to-rent project designed by MAS Architects is a milestone in its presence there. “[The project] is one of the last stages of our South City Square precinct that we’ve been working on now for over 10 years,” Kent told The Urban Developer. ▲ A rendering of Pellicano and Perri Projects ’ approved Gabba tower. The fast-tracked state development program allowed the tower to be approved in four months after it was lodged in November. And it was no surprise that the Woolloongabba project was chosen for the expedited pathway given the area in which it sits, Kent says. “We’re very fortunate that the Government has been able to see what’s been delivered within the precinct and it’s just a great initiative from the government to fast-track housing and affordable housing for Queensland,” Kent says. And it is fortuitous that the project is being delivered in an area with such promise, he says. “The entertainment precinct and the Cross River Rail are all great initiatives, along with all of the other great amenities and infrastructure that already exists in the precinct, from the PA hospital, the Mater hospital, and its proximity to the CBD. ▲ Pellicano has been approved to build 440 apartments at 148 Logan Road. “It’s a great area and a great opportunity for Brisbane to continue to come alive and we’re excited about the next steps,” Kent says. The project is also an example of the development—notably with affordable elements—the Government wishes to attract, O’Connor says. “This is the exact place where you would want to see a development like this. It’s a precinct that has already been so [well] built,” he says. The precedent has already been set with the likes of Pellicano’s South City Square and Trenert Group’s mixed-use five-tower precinct which also has affordable elements. “We want to make sure where these projects stack up, where they have the support of communities, and when they have the support of local governments that they get that pathway that they need to succeed,” O’Connor says. Precinct plans Already though, the city’s developers and architects are looking at the wider potential of the area once The Gabba stadium is no more. Sarazin Property founder and director Darren Dougan, who has six towers in the works in the PDA , says that the Government and developers could look to counterbalance the higher density allowed under the Woolloongabba PDA plan. “The PDA is there for density to happen. But given that the Victoria Park stadium is taking away green space, we would like to see the urban renewal of the Gabba to be centred around a park,” he says. ▲ The Woolloongabba Priority Development Area. “We underestimate how important Cross River Rail station will be, making it one stop from the Gabba to town and making it really easy to get to the new Olympic precinct. “With the arena across the road and connected to everything, it could become a massive renewal precinct in Brisbane.” Landscape architects Wild Studio’s managing director Andrew Green says it is an opportunity to create a legacy for The Gabba area, and designed a response to it ( pictured top ). “The focus has shifted to the other side of the river which is great and makes lots of sense, but we felt with all the development happening in the Gabba, there’s still a shortage of open space. ▲ A concept rendering of a park to replace The Gabba stadium. Image: Creative Threshold “We’ve designed the project to generate debate; let’s start talking about and debating the opportunities in Woolloongabba.” HAL Studios director Elizabeth Anderson, who also collaborated on the proposal for the Gabba precinct, says that more green space is a “win-win” for Brisbane, even as the housing crisis continues. “There are plenty of other viable sites residential development can go on, but this is a rare accumulation of land that is underutilised right now,” Anderson says. “South Bank Parklands was only achieved by Expo 88, those parcels would have been impossible to accumulate without that event. “It’s an iconic city centre site, and yes we have a housing crisis but we need to feel that high density is an attractive prospect, and density just doesn’t work without green space.”

Building a Legacy After Brisbane’s Gabba Torn Down

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