LONG before any concrete plans were put forward to redevelop Ipswich City Square, the Beattie Government and Ipswich City Council announced a project to revitalise the city centre – River Heart Parklands.
It was an exciting and innovative project that would go some way to address the concerns raised by CBD property owners about a retail development approved on the other side of the river on Queensland Rail land – Riverlink Shopping Centre.
When plans were first put forward for Riverlink, under Ipswich City Council’s town plan the northern side of the river was never to be developed for retail use.
River Heart Parklands was a major concession that should not be given up so easily.
As its name suggests, it was the heart of the future vision for the city centre – a CBD which had turned its back on the river. It was the key project which embraced the Bremer River and created public access to the riverfront.
It has been a much- loved addition to the city centre. The previous council’s laser light shows attracted massive crowds to both River Heart Parklands and Riverlink and highlighted how important the parklands were for a modern Ipswich.
Council is now focused on making a reserve that is more flood resilient, and can be re-opened more quickly and at a lower cost after each flood event.
The Council’s Shape Your Ipswich survey found that more than 81 per cent of respondents used the parklands before the 2022 flood event.
The majority supported a “varied version of the boardwalk” to ensure flood resilience but said accessibility should be maintained.
This is the key point for the Council. Any redesign must reinstate a boardwalk that connects to the river.
