Tourism Numbers:
With the shock resignations of former Mayor Paul Pisasale, CEO Jim Lindsay and Senior Staffer Craig Maudsley, 2017 was a tumultuous time for Ipswich City Council, particularly in promoting Ipswich as a tourist destination.
Mayor Andrew Antoniolli says the consequent upheaval from these events hasn’t marred the reputation of Ipswich, as reflected by the city’s soaring tourism numbers.
“I really don’t think that people look at politics when they consider where they’re going to take their family to visit,” Cr Antoniolli said.
“Ipswich has always been a thriving city, it’s been a resilient city, and we’ve punched above our weight for decades.”
More than two and a half million visitors visited Ipswich in the 12 months up to September 2017, adding $65 million in direct economic benefit.
Mayor Antoniolli believes it’s not a time for Ipswich to rest on its laurels in terms of events, planning or infrastructure. “We’ve got a lot of irons in the fire,” he said.
“We have the state age netball championships coming up this year. Sport is one of those things that really drives a lot of people to Ipswich.”
It’s something Ipswich MP Jennifer Howard also recognises as driving tourist numbers, working with the Mayor to propose an NRL team, but not for some time.
“The NRL are not quite ready to expand at this point of time, however we have to just be ready,” the Mayor said.
“That gives us a little bit of time, probably three years before they make up their mind on whether or not they’re going to expand.”
CBD Redevelopment:
The Council is also in the process of purchasing Ipswich City Plaza at 2 Bell Street, giving more options for the revitalised CBD plan.
Mayor Andrew Antoniolli said it was an exciting time. “By the end of this year, we can expect people to be gathering in great cafes, and by the end of 2019 we’ll all be shopping in big brand stores.”
Cr Antoniolli said the development was on track, and he was happy with the expressions of interest from businesses and chains who have indicated that they want to launch a presence in Ipswich.
Council is still committed to a new administration building in the precinct by the end of 2019.
In other CBD news, Brisbane Street is set for an interim upgrade this year. Between Hooper and Burnett Streets will see a new set of traffic signals at Tiger Street as well as a synchronisation of all West Ipswich traffic signals to improve flow coming into the CBD.
Councillor Cheryl Bromage said drivers would welcome the increase in traffic capacity, with the addition of a second inbound lane between Hooper to Burnett Streets.
“On average 20,100 vehicles use Brisbane Street each weekday.
“Services such as power, water and communication cables will need relocating and this will commence shortly.”
Already several newer buildings have been constructed to allow for a future road upgrade. This project is an interim solution to give approximately 10 years additional capacity. Up to $5 million has been allocated for the upgrade.
