Every city needs a vibrant, modern central business district to encourage people to come into the city to do business, see attractions and generally enjoy the vibe of their city.
There’s no doubt that while the shopping centre at Riverlink has thrived the traditional heart of the city, Ipswich City Square at its centre has been in decline for some time.
Ipswich City Council intends to do something about this intolerable situation, as the population of Ipswich accelerates past 200,000 people.
The plan is to totally redevelop the city centre, with new buildings, open space parks, the Council Chambers and Ipswich Library.
The current phase of the project is the final planning segment before demolition begins later in the year, with the Ipswich Mall being the main priority.
Ipswich Mayor, Paul Pisasale says this period of growth comes after years of “this side of the river being neglected.” He said the community has spoken and they want to transform the Mall from the CBD to become “the true heart” of Ipswich.
“We asked. We listened. Now we are doing what people said they wanted. This is where our kids will come to celebrate. This is where our kids will come to eat and enjoy.
“CBDs all around Australia are struggling because they want to remain a CBD; we want to create a heart.”
Council-owned Ipswich City Properties Pty Ltd has partnered with the well-recognised urban regeneration developer cpc.Pacific for this $150 million redevelopment project, which is part of a 10 to 15 year staged redevelopment program that began in 2009.
This means the Ipswich CBD will be transformed to broaden it’s capacities – think major events, markets, artisans and unique food experiences, right in the heart of our city.
While this period of growth also means there will be significant construction work in the Mall, and understandable concerns for business owners, it’s not all doom and gloom for business owners.
Now more than ever, the Ipswich centre is booming. New cafes, shops and businesses are constantly popping up, and there’s a new vibe with events such as ‘Food Trucks in the Mall’, the recent ‘Battle of the Bands’ and the spectacular ‘Ipswich Festival’ in May.
In this Ipswich feature, we’ve sought to highlight some of the best Ipswich CBD has to offer, so ensure to support them during this time of transition and growth.
Ipswich businesses need support from their local community, so they encourage the ‘Shop Locally’ imperative that keeps the dollars in Ipswich and created jobs for Ipswich people.
For more information about incentives and programs supported locally go to the Ipswich City Council website at www.ipswich.qld.gov.au.
