NEWS
Labor’s Lord Mayoral candidate Ray Smith has outlined a series of initiatives that he says will revitalise the Valley as the city’s second CBD.
Mr Smith told a recent Valley Chamber of Commerce luncheon that if elected, he would:
• Establish a Valley Renewal Authority
• Create a special planning and assessment unit within council to support the authority’s work
• For the first four years of the authority, cut infrastructure charges for building development started within 12 months of approval, that are completed in normal building times and are greater than $1 million in value, and
• Boost the day economy by moving large number of council staff into Valley buildings within 12 months.
“The Valley is a special place. It’s been at the sentimental heart of Brisbane for more than 150 years. It has a rich history and a wealth of heritage – amazing hotels, churches and public buildings,” Mr Smith said.
“But let’s face it: Life hasn’t been easy for the Valley community. The Valley has seen the best of times and it’s seen the worst of times. It hasn’t been an easy road. “The Valley is in the process of emerging from the past to become Brisbane’s second CBD. But that evolution won’t just happen. It must be nurtured … and promoted … and championed.
“Just as Australia is often said to have a ‘two-speed economy’, I think the Valley has a ‘two-speed recovery’. There are parts of the Valley, like James Street, Emporium and Leightons HQ that have undergone an enormous, positive change in recent years. But there are other parts – the traditional parts of the Valley heart – that are languishing.”
Mr Smith said that in the last 12 months the current LNP council administration had: • Sanctioned the removal of hundreds of former Brisbane Water staff out of the TC Beirne building.
• Approved a development plan for the Valley that talked big but in reality provided little incentive and little in the way of real investment in infrastructure.
• Ended the contracts of the Valley Place Management team.
He said the loss of TCB staff had “gutted not only that building but the core, anchor tenant for the Valley heart’s daytime economy. “Development doesn’t happen simply because you talk about it.
The lesson of the Soorley Council’s urban renewal program was that you have to invest to get a return. If you want renewal, you have to work at it. Otherwise a new plan is not worth the paper it’s written on. The investment the Valley needs is in infrastructure,” he said.
“If you want to stimulate development, you don’t go out of your way to hold it up … like this council did with the massive Mosaic development in Ann Street. If we want the growth, we have to invest in social infrastructure – in childcare, in public transport, in parks and in community facilities to support that growth."
Outlining his Valley Renewal Authority plan, Mr Smith said he wanted to value the Valley as the second CBD for Brisbane, as well as the entertainment heart of the city.
“To do that, it needs investment and implementation. It needs the right priorities. The council has a vital role in promoting investment in the Valley. It can only do that if it gets serious about promoting the Valley, fast-tracking appropriate development, addressing issues of safety and social cohesion, supporting investment in both the day and night economies and leading by example.”
The authority would build on the successes of the Urban Renewal Taskforce and be “a new powerful engine to kick start investment”.
The Planning scheme would be overhauled to provide for fast-track assessment processes to allow for development to be priority assessed and decisions made quickly.
“A dynamic, action-oriented body will need a dynamic and action-focused director. Within 50 days of taking office, I’ll ensure we have someone with that experience and that focus to drive development in the Valley. To support the authority’s work, he would create a special planning and assessment unit within council with clear assessment criteria and key performance indicators to fast-track innovative development.”
For the first four years of the Valley Renewal Authority, his council would cut infrastructure charges for building development started within 12 months of approval, that are completed in normal building times and are greater than $1 million in value. Instead of infrastructure charges, his council would negotiate the in-kind provision of much-needed social and public infrastructure.
The Valley Renewal Authority would look at how each individual development could contribute to local improvements and provide for local needs that would support the growing Valley community. That way, developers would see a real and direct value for their contribution and the broader community would still benefit.
