Herston Quarter PDA

Thank you for your question. You are still able to make submissions in the usual ways, including all of the options you have stated, however we have added an additional option which is using the Have your say site. The EDQ website has all of the options stated on how to make a submission and these have been available during the submission period.

The impact of development in the PDA on the local road network is a key consideration in the future planning of the site. As Brisbane City Council maintain the road network in the immediate vicinity of the PDA, Brisbane City Council and other stakeholders have, and will continue to be consulted regarding traffic matters. Various strategic level traffic and transport studies have been undertaken for the Herston PDA, in consultation with Council, identifying the need for road network upgrades to support planned renewal and development in the PDA. EDQ’s traffic investigations have to be integrated with Council’s work and therefore there is no single ‘model’. The outcomes of these various studies have informed the drafting of the PDA development scheme and Development Charges and Offsets Plan. Both of these documents are on the EDQ website. Detailed planning and design work will be undertaken as individual development applications are assessed and any development application in the PDA will require a traffic impact assessment and car parking strategy.  

The Herston Quarter Priority Development Area proposed development scheme is available on Have your say website and is currently on public notification from 7 August to 18 September 2017. The proposed development scheme is the overarching planning document that sets out how development in the Herston Quarter PDA will provide for:

• New health care facilities including a private hospital and a new public specialist rehabilitation and ambulatory care centre (SRACC). The SRACC will be comprised of some 100 beds, special purpose rehabilitation support areas, and a surgical and endoscopic centre with a 32 bed surgical inpatient unit, seven operating theatres, three endoscopy rooms and recovery spaces
• Protecting the highly valued heritage of the PDA by reviving significant underutilised heritage buildings to ensure their ongoing preservation and use
• Establishing the heritage buildings and surrounds as a focus of retail and commercial activity in the PDA and for the Herston community including shops, restaurants and cafes
• Creating a vibrant and highly active mixed-use precinct that supports the surrounding health, research and education uses
• New child care services for hospital staff and the local community
• A range of housing options to allow elderly local residents to remain in their community, including residential care and retirement facilities
• Improvements to the public accessibility and permeability o the PDA to allow or better integration and connectivity to the surrounding area, including the Herston busway station.

The proposed development scheme also sets out the land use intents and a list of preferred land uses for each of the four precincts.

As with many parts of inner Brisbane, it is recognised that the road network surrounding the PDA can be busy, particularly at peak times.  On this basis, traffic and transport has been a key consideration throughout the planning process for the Herston Quarter both before and after declaration of the Priority Development Area.  To understand the impacts that development in the PDA will have on the local road network and inform future infrastructure planning, EDQ, in consultation with Brisbane City Council, has been undertaking traffic modelling that takes into account development in the Bowen Hills PDA and subsequent demand.  This work will inform the location and necessity of any upgrades required to the road network both in the PDA and in the surrounding area and ultimately the final development scheme for the Herston Quarter.  This will include consideration of the Butterfield/Garrick roundabout and other key intersections surrounding the PDA.

During the development approval process, EDQ will also require the developer to undertake more detailed traffic modelling based on the development proposed by each development application.  A traffic management plan will also need to be prepared by the developer to address a number of matters traffic and parking and impacts on the local network during construction.

EDQ considers public art to be an important part of delivering community benefit through development and contributing to the character and unique identity of a place.  As a result, the Herston Quarter Interim Land Use Plan requires development in the PDA to integrate public art in the public realm (refer to section 4.1.3).  This provision will be directly incorporated into the proposed development scheme.  EDQ will negotiate the delivery of specific public art outcomes in the PDA including scale, location and type with the proponent during the development assessment process.  The Queen’s Wharf PDA development scheme also requires delivery of public art but does not specify a contribution as a percentage of total project value.

Under the provisions of the Economic Development Act 2012, each submission received during the submission period must be considered on its merit and the proposed development scheme may be amended if it is considered appropriate.  There are elements that cannot be changed.  For example, the heritage buildings must be retained.

EDQ began engagement in February 2017 and delivered a community newsletter to all Herston residents to advise them of the process going forward and invite them to get involved and sign-up to future updates on the PDA planning process.  The Herston Quarter Have Your Say page was established at this point to enable the community to ask questions of the EDQ planning team.  This newsletter was also published concurrently on the Herston Quarter EDQ website and Herston Quarter Have your say website. 

Prior to EDQ involvement in the Herston Quarter project, the Queensland Government also provided regular updates to the community and undertook consultation including two community workshops in November 2015 which helped shaped the conceptual master plan for the site.  Along with other planning considerations, the conceptual master plan was an important input in the drafting of the ILUP and proposed development scheme which will be on public notification in the coming weeks.

While EDQ understands the proposed development scheme may affect local residents, it will also provide a framework to help deliver community benefits for local residents.  This includes new public spaces, opportunities for new cafes and small shops through the revitalisation and activation of the heritage buildings, improved accessibility and permeability of the site and housing for the elderly local residents to remain in their community.

Under section 58 of the Economic Development Act 2012 (the Act), it is acknowledged that before making a proposed development scheme EDQ must make reasonable endeavours to consult in the way it considers appropriate.  There is no requirement under the Act to consult on the Interim Land Use Plan (ILUP).  The ILUP is in place for 12 months and primarily allows early works (e.g. service relocation) and the development of the Specialist Rehabilitation and Ambulatory Care Centre to occur.  While the ILUP is in place, the proposed development scheme is prepared.  It is important to note that the development scheme is considered ‘proposed’ under the Act until it has been approved by the Minister for Economic Development Queensland following public notification and given effect by the Economic Development Regulation 2013 which is anticipated to occur in late-2017.

Public notification will provide the opportunity for the local community to have their say on the proposed development outcomes for the PDA.  Public notification is scheduled to occur in the coming weeks for a minimum of 30 business days (submission period).  Each submission received during the submission period must be considered on its merit and the proposed development scheme may be amended if it is considered appropriate.  Any matters relating to outcomes in the proposed development scheme including land use, building heights and car parking could be raised via a formal submission during the submission period. 

EDQ will inform residents about the public notification period via an advertisement in local press and a letterbox drop of a community newsletter and electronically to those who have registered on the Herston Quarter Have your say page.  EDQ will also undertake informal information sessions where the community can drop in and talk about the proposed development scheme with EDQ staff. 

Following a competitive bid process, the Queensland Government has contracted Australian Unity to deliver the redevelopment of the former Royal Children’s Hospital.  The redevelopment proposes a new Specialist Rehabilitation and Ambulatory Care Centre (SRACC), aged care, student accommodation, retirement living, a private hospital and residential development as well as the adaptive re-use of several significant state heritage buildings including the prominent Lady Lamington Building and towers.  For more information on the proposed redevelopment please view the Herston Quarter website.

In November 2016, the Herston Quarter Priority Development Area (PDA) was declared to facilitate the Herston Quarter project.  The Interim Land Use Plan (ILUP) currently provides the planning framework for the PDA that is used by EDQ during the development assessment process. This includes provisions that address impacts on residential amenity. The ILUP is available at the Herston Quarter PDA page .

The Herston Quarter PDA proposed development scheme will be released for public consultation in mid-2017. This will provide further detailed development controls for the PDA. The public will have an opportunity to write a submission on the proposed development scheme during the 30 business day notification period. The final development scheme will replace the ILUP. 

As part of project implementation and development approvals, EDQ will require the developer to prepare a construction management plan. This plan typically defines the arrangements and procedures to be put in place to minimise adverse impacts on local amenity including traffic, dust, noise and vibration.  This is especially important given its proximity to residential homes and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.  The development will also need to meet a number of acoustic and air quality standards to ensure construction and ongoing operation of the development mitigates any potential adverse impacts.