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MINISTERIAL REGIONAL COMMUNITY FORUMGREATER BRISBANECLEVELAND – 22 SEPTEMBER 2008POTENTIAL USES FOR THE QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OFTECHNOLOGY (QUT) CARSELDINE SITE INCLUDING ABUSINESS/SERVICES HUB FOR THE NORTHSIDE OF BRISBANE
Summary and Key Requests
The report will:
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highlight issues raised by forum members at the Ministerial Regional Community Forumheld on 16 June 2008, in relation to the redevelopment of the QUT campus atCarseldine;
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propose a range of possible uses for the site following consultation between forummembers and the local community; and
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table outcomes sought by the forum members.
Background
In late 2007 Greater Brisbane Ministerial Regional Community Forum members becameaware that the QUT campus at Carseldine would not be used by QUT for teaching beyondJanuary 2009. Forum members have consulted with the community and believe that thispresents a unique opportunity for the community to explore potential uses for the vacantsite that will enhance Brisbane’s northern corridor.The Carseldine campus provides the only significant social infrastructure in the areaincluding sporting facilities, walking tracks, bushland, library and office space and aprofessional standard theatre, gallery and exhibition spaces.The Urban Land Development Authority (ULDA) has recently announced that the QUTCarseldine campus is included in the new Fitzgibbon Urban Development Area (UDA). Thedevelopment of the suburb of Fitzgibbon will ultimately include affordable housing, largetracts of green space and well planned transport links for the community. With the increasein the local population resulting from the Fitzgibbon development, the potential uses for theQUT site for the benefit of the local community require broad consultation and carefulconsideration to ensure maximum benefit for the local community is achieved.
Issues
In a report presented at the forum in June, Greater Brisbane Ministerial RegionalCommunity Forum members identified a range of issues in relation to the northern corridor and outlined several potential opportunities for future uses of the Carseldine site.The Northern Corridor of Brisbane has been identified by the Brisbane North DevelopmentForum as an area warranting and requiring social and economic development and diversity,and this is consistent with the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which clearly shows
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fewer industry and economic centres on the north side of Brisbane than on the south sideof the city. Through their consultations with the community, forum members have identifieda need for innovative and diverse new enterprises along Brisbane’s northern corridor.Forum members have also become aware of areas of relative social and economicdisadvantage along the Northern Corridor indicating the need for strategically located socialservices and linkages. The need for additional accommodation for community groups andnon-profit organisations has been identified across the region and highlighted to forummembers from a range of sources. This lack of accommodation is particularly significant inthe northern region due to weaker interagency links and lack of governmentowned/developed infrastructure. The QUT campus at Carseldine is currently used bycommunity groups including Catalyst Youth Arts which occupies office space for a meetingplace for the North Brisbane region elders.Social enterprise is a growing sector across Australia which will grow more dynamically if appropriately resourced and supported as a legitimate business enterprise. Forum membershave identified a variety of potential future uses for the facilities vacated by QUT includingthe possible establishment of a new and emerging business hub emphasising socialenterprise and flexible space and facilities for small business. There is a café on thecampus that could provide an ideal opportunity for a social enterprise or catering businessincubator. The Aspley Special School next door to the site is already operating anenvironment and recycling social enterprise, and the site is in close proximity to thedeveloping Chermside business activity centre.The QUT campus at Carseldine is connected via bus and train services to outer areas (intoMoreton Bay Regional Shire, Caboolture and on into the Sunshine Coast) and by busroutes that connect to the CBD via Gympie Road, from Carseldine train station and KelvinGrove Road from the Aspley Hypermarket. The site is also connected by train to the CBDand other transport nodes including Redcliffe via the Hornibrook Bus Line.There is a growing concern in the community about environmental sustainability in relationto urban planning and design issues in suburban growth areas. The QueenslandGovernment is planning to develop a Design Centre in the inner city within an establishedcreative precinct. Forum members have identified the need for a design centre and artsstrategy for the whole community and the whole region, including the Northern Corridor,rather than an additional city-centric cultural institution. The QUT campus at Carseldinehouses a professional standard theatre and art gallery that could be utilised to deliver someof the program activities of the Design Centre, particularly those concerned withenvironmental, urban design, architecture and sustainability issues. The Carseldine campuspresents a vehicle for a more dispersed approach to environmental, urban and designeducation, particularly given the recent land release in the northern region.Recently the ULDA declared Fitzgibbon as an Urban Development Area which includes theQUT campus at Carseldine. The ULDA works with local and state government, community,local landholders and the development industry to deliver commercially viable developmentsthat include diverse, affordable, sustainable housing, using best-practice urban design. Inaddition, the ULDA will develop key sites and priority infrastructure within the FitzgibbonUDA, and forum members believe that an opportunity exists to pilot an approach toinfrastructure at the QUT site that could be used to inform the development of infrastructurein the rest of the Fitzgibbon UDA.The Queensland Government’s recent review of the Smart State resulted in theestablishment of a design strategy in Queensland that will ‘fuse design expertise with other industries to increase economic and industry competitiveness.’ This could provideopportunities to form links between manufacturing and the design sector, in addition toapplying design thinking in interesting ways to drive economic development beyond the citycentre. The South East Queensland Regional Plan identifies the northern corridor for 
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manufacturing which provides the potential for consideration of a sub-regional interface withthe design sector consistent with the Smart State initiative.Forum members are aware that the government is planning major road works for thenorthern corridor and are concerned that in combination with new land releases theconditions of urban sprawl, increased pollution and environmental degradation, erodedsocial capital and inaccessible local business areas will be exacerbated. Forum membersbelieve that there is a need to mitigate these impacts and to perhaps seek new approachesto community and economic development.Forum members are aware that the land has been reserved for educational purposes andthat the longer term future of the site is subject to the consideration of the QueenslandUniversity of Technology and hence may not be a viable long term option for alternativeuses. However, the vacating of the Carseldine campus by QUT at the end of the 2008academic year represents a unique opportunity for the local community and futuredevelopment of the northern corridor and hence forum members are committed to ensuringthat the community are consulted and that all possible uses of the site are given thoroughconsideration by government.The Greater Brisbane Ministerial Regional Community Forum members believe thatconsultation and collaboration between the government, the community and QUT toconsider the possible future uses of the Carseldine campus will maximise the potential of this valuable asset and provide a unique opportunity for innovative approaches to urban,social and economic development in the northern corridor.
Community Interest and Consultation
Forum members have consulted with and received expressions of support and interestfrom:
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Brisbane Social Enterprise Hub
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Speak Out
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Edgeware
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Blak Business Smart Business
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SANDBAG
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Foresters ANA
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Brisbane City Council staff have expressed a willingness to investigate possibilities
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QUT have indicated a preparedness to listen to proposals and ideas
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Greater Brisbane Regional Managers’ Coordination Network have expressed aninterest
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Feedback to the Smart State Review and Design Centre Plans by MinisterialRegional Community Forum members.
Outcomes Sought
The Brisbane Ministerial Regional Community forum members request the followingoutcomes:1)That the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning formally acknowledge BrisbaneMinisterial Regional Community Forum members as interested stakeholders and includeBrisbane forum members in consultations on the future proposed uses for the QUTcampus at Carseldine.2)That the Urban Land Development Authority and the Department of Infrastructure andPlanning note the contents of this brief and give consideration to suggested future uses
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