Ipswich Region Investment Profile
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
IPSWICH REGION INVESTMENT PROFILE DEDICATED TO BUILDING BETTER CONTENTS 03 Introduction - Ipswich Region 04 Population / Growth 05 Economy 06 Infrastructure / Development 08 Roads and Transport 10 Lifestyle 11 Medical 12 Education 13 Ticking all the boxes INTRODUCTION IPSWICH REGION One of Australia’s fastest emerging 21st century cities, Ipswich is centrally located in the South East Queensland region of Australia. The city is ideally positioned on the national road network, located 40 minutes from Brisbane CBD, 60 minutes from the Gold Coast and 60 minutes from domestic and international air and sea ports. As Queensland’s oldest provincial city, Ipswich has a rich history. It is renowned for its architectural, natural and cultural heritage, housing more than 6,000 heritage listed sites. Combined with the region’s natural beauty, major calendar local events, high quality education and health facilities, the city attracts a growing population of families, businesses and opportunities. Fast Facts: • 220,000+ Residents • $9.7 Billion Gross Regional Product (2019) • 9,900 + Businesses • 1,096 km2 Area • 1.9% Vacancy rate 3 POPULATION / GROWTH The main centres of the Ipswich region include Goodna, Springfield Central, Ipswich Central, Haigslea, Marburg and Rosewood. Ipswich is the fastest growing city in Queensland, with a current population of around 220,000 residents, which is predicted to increase to around 520,000 residents by the year 2041. 4 ECONOMY Ipswich’s Gross Regional Product is estimated at $9.7 billion, or 3% of the state’s gross product, with more than 77,000 local jobs in key industry sectors such as manufacturing, construction, health care, retail, education and training, and transport and logistics. Ipswich’s largest output industry is manufacturing, generating more than $3.8 billion in 2018/19. This industry is the city’s largest employer with 14.6% of the workforce employed in the sector. The RAAF Base Amberley is located on the outskirts of Ipswich, and is the Air Force’s largest base. It employs over 5,000 people and contributes approximately half a billion dollars annually to the Ipswich economy. The economy is set to flourish with the state’s South East Queensland Regional Infrastructure Plan set to spend $124 billion until 2026. The investment listed in this infrastructure plan represents almost one-third of the state’s total investment in infrastructure. This includes $94.6 billion in road, rail and public transport projects and studies, over $12.6 billion in social and community infrastructure, $4.6 billion in water infrastructure and $3.3 billion spending on energy. These projects are estimated to support up to 900,000 jobs through to 2026. 5 INFRASTRUCTURE / DEVELOPMENT The Queensland Government has set major goals for the Ipswich region to expand on its infrastructure, economy and residential and visitor growth. The Queensland Budget (2019/20) directly supports the Ipswich region with significant expenditure including: • $895.9 million on infrastructure • $642.8 million on health • $107.3 million on education. The total infrastructure program over the next four years is set to spend $49.5 billion and is expected to support 40,500 jobs during this time. Some major projects currently in development are: Redevelopment of Ipswich town centre – Nicholas Street The $250 million project, the largest transformation to be undertaken in the Ipswich CBD in over three decades, will see Nicholas Street become a highly sought-after retail destination and put Ipswich squarely on the map. The redevelopment will realise a new Council administration building, a public library and information centre, a major entertainment plaza and over 14,500sqm of landscaped public realm. This is due for completion by mid-2021. 6 Ipswich Motorway Upgrade The Ipswich Motorway between Rocklea and Darra is currently undergoing a $400 million upgrade, with completion due in early 2021. Works include additional lanes, higher bridges, new connection and service roads, and new traffic signals. The benefits for this upgrade include improved traffic flow, better road safety, enhanced local connectivity and improved flood immunity for the motorway. Greater Springfield Development With funding from both public and private investments, $17 billion has already been invested across the whole of Greater Springfield infrastructure and development and it is expected to reach $85 billion upon completion. The award-winning master-planned development area features a hospital, seven high schools, a university campus and major industry and shopping precincts. Further to this, Greater Springfield is set to have a $1.2 billion rail and transport hub and a world class recreational and sporting facility. Rheinmetall Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence The $170 million Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) at Rheinmetall Defence Australia’s new headquarters in the City of Ipswich is now finished and ready for fit-out, and is due to be officially launched in July 2020. This significant state-of-the-art defence facility will support 450 jobs for Queenslanders. Ripley Valley Ripley Valley has been declared a priority development area and covers a total area of 4,680 hectares southwest of the Ipswich CBD. Within the SEQ Regional plan, the Ripley Valley Development is an urban land development plan set to boost economy and population growth. The regional plan identifies a need for an additional 118,000 dwellings in the Ipswich local government area by 2031, and the Ripley Valley Urban Development Area has the potential to contribute approximately 50,000 dwellings to house a population of around 120,000 people. The Ripley Valley development sets out to have its own $1.5 billion town centre and public transport infrastructure amongst the series of distinctive neighbourhoods. 7 ROADS & TRANSPORT The Ipswich region is strategically positioned and globally connected, being at the nexus of five of the state’s largest and busiest roads with highway access direct to the Port of Brisbane and Brisbane Airport. Road The City of Ipswich is served by the Ipswich Motorway, the Logan Motorway, the Brisbane Valley Highway, the Centenary Highway, the Cunningham Highway, the Warrego Highway, Brisbane Road and the Ipswich, Rosewood and Springfield railway lines. Air Ipswich is conveniently located near three major airports being Brisbane (45 minutes), Gold Coast (80 minutes) and Toowoomba (80 minutes), providing quick access to both domestic and international flights. 8 Rail Ipswich was home to Queensland’s first rail line and is still a logistics hub for product distribution across Australia and internationally. The Rosewood railway line, part of the first railway in Queensland, is an electrified line and extends west through Ipswich’s western suburbs to the town of Rosewood. The Ipswich Railway Station is a major hub for rail transport, with the Ipswich Line extending east from Ipswich through Brisbane’s western suburbs to the Brisbane CBD. The QLD Government’s continued investment in the public transport system and infrastructure over the next two decades will cater for the region’s growing population. Some of the current rail line upgrades and developments include: • The National Inland Rail project to develop a 1,700 km freight rail line between Melbourne and Brisbane, with plans to build a new line between Beaudesert and Rosewood. • A $6.5 million upgrade to East Ipswich train station to provide improved access and facilities. • Upgrades to Springfield Central and Darra stations as part of the “park and ride” scheme, with a total cost of $54.3 million on these two sites alone. 9 LIFESTYLE The Ipswich region offers endless opportunities for exploration, family fun and relaxation. Explore and experience the array of natural reserves, lakes and parks, or travel to the coast to relax upon the variety of beaches available. Some of the most popular events on Ipswich’s annual calendar include Queensland 400 V8 Supercars, The Ipswich Festival, Queensland Open Gold Championships and the annual major horse race, The Ipswich Cup. Adventure and Family Attractions The Ipswich region boasts many fun family attractions which include everything from animals and farms for the kids, nature park retreats for the adults, museums, art galleries and many other unique experiences. Some of the main attractions include the Robelle Domain Central Parklands, Ipswich Nature Centre, The Llama Farm, Nerima Gardens, Hidden Vale Adventure Park, The Workshops Rail Museum and the RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre. For the more active thrill-seekers, the region offers White Rock Mountain conservation park for hiking tracks and amazing scenery, Castle Hill Blackstone Reserve which is perfect for adrenalin-fuelled downhill mountain biking, and the Willowbank Raceway for drag racing action. Retail The Ipswich region boasts a number of strong retail centres including: • Ipswich Central • Riverlink Shopping Centre • Brassall Shopping Centre • Springfield Fair (recently completed a $4 million expansion) • St Ives Shopping Centre, Goodna (recently completed a multi-million dollar refurbishment) • Winston Glades Shopping Centre • Redbank Plaza • Booval Fair Shopping Centre 10 MEDICAL The Ipswich region is serviced by the West Moreton Health Services district to provide public health services to the communities of the region. The West Moreton Health Service provides health and wellbeing services to around 290,000 people across the Ipswich region. There is a public and private hospital located in Ipswich LGA, which are supported by a wide range of medical practitioners, community health services, aged care and numerous other services. Mater Private Hospital Springfield The Greater Springfield community is home to the $85 million Mater Private Hospital and $21.4 million cancer care centre. This is Stage One of the 52 hectare Health City, which will incorporate a number of future expansion stages designed to meet the growing needs of the region. It has been declared as a regional project of significance by the Queensland Government. Ipswich Hospital Expansion In the most recent budget, the Qld Government has set out to spend $642.8 million on the Ipswich region’s health developments and facilities.