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27th September 2019 The Victoria Park Vision

The Committee for Brisbane (the Committee) thanks Brisbane City Council (BCC) for the opportunity to provide feedback on the future of Victoria Park. Reconsideration of the future design, protection, celebration and activation of the Park is critical to stitching together both the city centre and one of Brisbane’s greatest assets. The opportunity to recast the role and function of Victoria Park and connect a series of green and civic spaces should be undertaken in a diligent and comprehensive manner to ensure that the Park presents the very best of Brisbane and offers the community and visitors a unique and unparalleled experience. The Committee acknowledges the process Council has embarked upon and present the following commentary from our membership, to help inform Council’s ongoing work and extend our support for future bold design thinking and assistance.

THE COMMITTEE FOR BRISBANE

The Committee, an independent, not-for-profit organisation was established with the aim of making Brisbane one of the world’s greatest places to live, work and play. Our visionary programme will confront the challenges facing us and explore ideas and opportunities that will accelerate Brisbane’s liveability. We take an innovative, evidence-based approach to a range of issues – absorbing lessons and gathering success stories from other cities and urban typologies.

The Committee is particularly committed to shaping Brisbane’s future as the world’s greatest and most liveable city. For more than 60 years the BDA and now the Committee has advocated for a ‘better Brisbane’ and in this context we acknowledge Brisbane City Council’s current Victoria Park design ideas engagement and congratulate them on the community consultation behind this initiative.

OUR RESPONSE

The Committee used two means by which to elicit responses from its members on the future use of the Park, including a member survey and a workshop. The survey took place in mid-August and focused on potential commercial uses, indigenous celebration, healthy lifestyles and stitching together both civic and green spaces and produced the following results:

Do you support No - 20.9% Do you support No - 10.4% commerical commerical operators within development over the park? the ICB and rail line if it leads to better connection between the park and Gregory Yes - 80.6% Terrace? Yes - 89.6%

(67 responses) (67 responses) 02

Should Victoria Park accommodate compementary land uses such as celebration of indigenous culture, green living lab and / or healthy lifestyle?

(67 responses)

Should Victoria Park be a key connector between other major green spaces and civic spaces - e.g. Roma Street Parklands, that circle the inner city?

(67 responses) 03 On September 5th the Committee invited a number of our members to attend a workshop to explore the future of Victoria Park. Over several hours we considered the role, function and spatial elements that required attention for any future vision and development of the Park. In addition to our key findings outlined below we also prepared a number of leading case studies to guide the workshop thinking. We have provided these case studies as an attachment and draw attention to the range of uses, programmed space and elements of celebration that each possesses. General Findings

• Any future use of Victoria Park must ensure that multiple experiences occur throughout the full ex- tent of the park on both sides of the ICB. • The future use of green space could in fact extend across parts of the ICB to stitch together the two parts of the Park and improve access and connectivity. • The Park is an important green lung between neighborhood’s at the edge of the city centre and inner-city suburbs and hence provides a local experience that must be maintained and enhanced. • The Park also offers scope to be an iconic space that attracts domestic and international visitors. This needs to be viewed from the perspective of accommodating rich experiences and keeping people in the location for several hours for several reasons. Added to this is the need for access to the Park from the city centre and nearby transit locations.

Collaborative workshop visioning exercises

During the workshop a range of interrelated and integrated themes emerged. These themes provide the basis for future design thinking and include:

Health

The Park sits close to major health institutions and offers scope to provide direct access for active and passive recreation to support healthy lifestyles – ranging from well-located sporting facilities to complement existing aquatic and tennis facilities. Types of uses include new running and walking tracks and segregated cycle paths; play spaces for a range of age groups - with water play and tactile experiences; skate parks; fitness circuits and opens spaces to throw and kick ball.

In the year that the city, State and Federal Government are considering the potential to bid for a 2032 Olympic Games, there is a real opportunity to highlight what role public spaces can play in getting the community fitter and healthier. The Park also offers the potential to showcase such healthy lifestyles with food gardens, markets, research centres and related retail opportunities that show the city leading by example in the pursuit of a healthy community. 04

Water Food

The topography of the Park provides the Enough space exists to create a range of potential to use the power of water to market and cottage garden experiences polish surrounding stormwater and create for community and commercial uses. waterside experiences and attract local Engagement with nearby community and fauna. Notwithstanding that there will education organisations would enable be a substantial cost to creating major these spaces to showcase organic water features it will also create a major practices and healthy food choices. Again, drawcard for visitors to engage passively linking these to potential research facilities and actively with water in the Park. Similar could create showcase opportunities of leading examples across the globe prove exemplary lifestyle choices. that water is a focal point to attracting people to use public spaces.

Indigenous

At present there are too few spaces that properly celebrate our indigenous culture across our region. Victoria Park offers a significant opportunity to collaborate with the indigenous community to truly showcase and celebrate the unique indigenous peoples and their culture and lifestyle. This can take many forms, including a museum space to monuments and gardens. The Committee is of the opinion that this needs to be a centre-point for the Park and used in such a way to programme events and draw visitors to the Park.

Innovation

The Park offers great potential to house innovatory new spaces and buildings that celebrate our sub-tropical lifestyle. This could extend to new research and horticultural spaces shared between local Universities and local community groups. As our lifestyles change dynamically and increasingly our climate and health are ever becoming critical concerns, the need for innovatory new ways to make our cities and communities more resilient is important. Victoria Park could be the home of a new lifestyle-research lab, showcasing the best of modern practices and encouraging people to participate directly in them within the surrounds of the Park.

Brisbane has experienced a period of sustained growth and prosperity over the last 10 years. This has provided the ideal platform to reconsider the role that the public realm and open spaces play in the liveability of the city. We support Council’s ambitions to elevate the city to a prominent place on the world stage and believe an articulate engagement and design process is critical to do so for key pieces of community infrastructure and especially Victoria Park.

The Committee’s aim is the enhancement of the economic, social, cultural and environmental conditions that make Brisbane a competitive and liveable global city. The Committee firmly believes that this also includes creating the processes and protocols for great design outcomes across the whole of the city and especially in our public spaces. Victoria park provides the opportunity to be one of the city’s most prominent spaces and a leading exemplar of a sustainable, indigenous and healthy sub-tropical lifestyle.

Yours Faithfully,

The Committee for Brisbane Mike Gillen Vice President 05

Appendix

• Workshop materials A

VICTORIA PARK HERSTON, QLD

45HA

DESCRIPTION VISITORS EMBELLISHMENTS Inner city recreational and park In recent years the golf course • cricket pitches reserve for organised sport and has seen a decline in patronage • tennis courts informal recreation containing and a reduction in revenue. • bikeway many sporting facilities, bisected More than 180,000 people • swimming pool by the ICB and railway using these facilities in 2018 • 18 hole golf course 2017-2018 • 61 bay, two tier day and night MANAGEMENT • Putt putt – 111, 677 driving range Brisbane City Council • Driving range – 70,209 • 18 hole mini-golf course (putt putt) EVENTS • Golf course – 34,890 • golf shop and retail store • Weddings • 8 unique function spaces COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT • Rise & Shine Weekend Putt Putt • bar and bistro N/A • Melbourne Cup Gala • children’s playground • Live music at the Bistro • on-site car parking • Weekly Group Fitness • golf clinics • Golf tournaments • PGA standard tees and greens • Weekend market food carts • School holiday activities B

THE DOMAIN CBD, NSW

34HA

DESCRIPTION EVENTS EMBELLISHMENTS Adjoining the Royal Botanic • • Walkways Gardens, the space is used for • Symphony in the Domain • Temporary stages in summer months outdoor concerts, open-air events, • • Speakers corner large public rallies, and active • • Art Gallery of New South Wales leisure pursuits. The parkland • Open air cinema • Historic buildings space is organised into precincts • Try-a-bike riding session • Playing fields – Phillip Precinct, Crescent • Domain parking station (1,130 spaces) Precinct, Tarpeian Precinct. VISITORS • Painted murals and public art • 10,000+ per event in The Domain • Mrs Macquarie’s Chair MANAGEMENT • Andrew “Boy” Charlton pool Royal Botanic Gardens Trust (NSW COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 600+ community volunteers Office of Environment and Heritage) for the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Domain C

HYDE PARK SYDNEY CBD, NSW

16HA

DESCRIPTION MANAGEMENT EMBELLISHMENTS Australia’s oldest park, divided into City of Sydney with ANZAC Memorial • Archibald Fountain northern and southern sections and Trust, RailCorp, and Sydney Water • Walker Fountain surrounded by a mix of commercial, • Frazer Fountain residential, education and religious EVENTS • Oddfellows Memorial • Sydney Food and Wine Fair buildings. It is characterised by • Sandringham Garden • NAIDOC launch a highly structured geometrical • Dalley Statue • pop up events layout defined by the pathway • Captain Cook Statue networks, tree plantings, garden VISITORS • Obelisk beds, monuments, fountains • N/A • Emden Gun and pools, grassed open spaces, • Anzac Memorial and formalised entrances and COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Pool of Reflection boundary walls to the adjoining Volunteers sought for event days • Internal pathways pedestrian and road networks • Public toilets • Kiosk • To be constructed: Open plan café D

ADELAIDE PARK LANDS ADELAIDE CBD, SA

760 HA

DESCRIPTION EVENTS EMBELLISHMENTS The Adelaide Park Lands are the • Adelaide Fringe Festival • 23 sports clubs/associates largest inner urban park system • • WOMADelaide currently hold leases on park lands in Australia. The world’s only • Bike paths “city in a Park”, they are the city’s VISITORS • Skate parks • 10 million visitors annually lungs, backyard, playground, • BMX tracks meeting space and more. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT • Golf courses N/A • Off lease dog areas MANAGEMENT • Walks and trails Adelaide Park Lands Authority • 25% of the Park Lands are the location of government, public and cultural buildings E

CENTRAL PARK NEW YORK, USA

341HA

DESCRIPTION EVENTS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT America’s most visited urban park • New York Marathon • 3,400+ volunteers located in central Manhattan. Central • New York Philharmonic • 58,000 hours Park is responsible for more than $1 annual performance • School groups and Corporate billion in annual economic activity • Discovery Walks for Families groups and revenue for New York City. • Shakespeare in the Park The Park is also a major source of • Harlem Meer Performance Festival EMBELLISHMENTS • Lakes and ponds added value to the City’s real estate, • Basketball Clinics • 21 children playgrounds adding more than $26 billion to the • Chess & Checkers Simuls • 5 visitor centres market value of nearby properties. • Central Park Conservancy • Woodlands, lawns, meadows, and Film Festival MANAGEMENT minor grassy areas • My Dog Loves Central Park Fair Managed by Central Park • 2 restaurant/bars • Halloween Pumpkin Flotilla Conservancy, under contract • Food and coffee carts with the municipal government VISITORS • Deck chairs in a public-private partnership 37-38 million visitors annually F

HYDE PARK LONDON, UK

139HA

DESCRIPTION EVENTS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Hyde Park is the largest Royal • Royal Parks Half Marathon 2,300 volunteers, 127,000 hours Park in London, offering both • Winder Wonderland including *combine numbers across 8 Royal Parks world-class events and concerts Christmas themed markets together with plenty of quiet • Royal Gun Salutes EMBELLISHMENTS • 18 monuments, fountains and statues places to relax and unwind. • British Summer Time in Hyde • 8 refreshment points, cafes, bars, kiosks Park (10 day festival) MANAGEMENT • Speakers’ Corner • Wellbeing and exercise classes Owned by the Sovereign and • Rose Garden • Walking tours managed by the Government • Diana Memorial Fountain • Nature explorers through the Department for • Seniors’ Playground Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) VISITORS • Hyde Park playground by the Royal Parks Agency • 12.8 million visitors annually • Serpentine Lido (swimming pool) • Tennis and Sports centre • Football pitches • Cycle hires • Visitor information centres • Deck chairs