The next Brisbane precinct tipped for ‘inevitable growth and transformation’
Brisbane’s inner-city economy is increasingly diversifying beyond office and retail, with the arts and culture and education sectors key drivers of activity, according to the latest snapshot from the Committee for Brisbane.
But the not-for-profit advocacy organisation, which counts dozens of large businesses and government entities as members, raised concern that transport remained a weakness for the city centre, with 50c fares failing to make a dent in congestion.
The annual Inner City Vitality Report breaks Brisbane’s centre down into seven precincts: Brisbane City, South Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill, Woolloongabba, Kangaroo Point, and for the first time, the “Olympic Precinct” around Victoria Park.
More than 1200 more units were coming onto the residential market in South Brisbane, the report said.Credit: Tammy Law
Chief executive Jen Williams told this masthead before the release of the report on Thursday that each area was starting to specialise, with growth in the arts and culture sector particularly strong in Fortitude Valley and South Brisbane.
Attendance at events at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Queensland Museum, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Queensland Art Gallery were “back on track to exceed pre-COVID numbers”, the report said.
“In our major institutions, like the Queensland Museum, we’re seeing phenomenal growth in patronage and visitor numbers,” Williams added.
An artist’s render of the new Glasshouse theatre at QPAC in South Brisbane.Credit: Lendlease
“It’ll be exciting to see, when we have the new Glasshouse open at QPAC, what patronage is going to look like when we can have two major musicals running in the city at the same time, along with all of the other great festivals and shows that we have on.”
Since the announcement that Brisbane’s Olympic main stadium would be built in Victoria Park earlier this year, the committee added the area around Herston, Kelvin Grove and the Showgrounds to its list of precincts, predicting it would see “inevitable growth and transformation”.
