A new strategy to guide the growth of Brisbane’s industrial and manufacturing sectors has been released by Brisbane City Council.
Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner said the Our Productive City strategy would help local businesses grow and ensure Brisbane’s economy reaps the benefits from the rapidly evolving sectors.
“Brisbane already has an incredible array of industrial and manufacturing businesses that are becoming far more innovative, diverse and agile,” Lord Mayor Schrinner said.
“The issues that we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many businesses to diversify and convinced people to buy local.
“Our strategy will help these businesses grow and evolve by ensuring there are dedicated areas where a more modern and flexible approach to land use is allowed.”
The Lord Mayor said more than 1-in-10 of the jobs created in Brisbane over the next decade will be in the industrial sector.
“Our strategy preserves those areas of our city where the more traditional heavy industrial activities are undertaken,” he said.
“However, it recognises that the significant growth that will occur in the industrial sector over the next decade and beyond will be in cleaner industries that value-add to their products.
“These industries will require more space as well as more flexible land uses on which to operate.”
As part of the Our Productive City strategy, Council has identified more than 260 hectares of industrial land which could be adapted for flexible high-value, low-impact industrial precincts, including sites in Albion, Newstead, Moorooka, Coorparoo and Toowong.
Another 120 hectares of land has been identified for new Urban Enterprise Areas, which will be concentrated employment zones that can accommodate a mix of high-value manufacturing businesses and services as well as opportunities for residential projects.
The three UEA zones are in Albion/Newstead/Bowen Hills, Coorparoo, Woolloongabba/East Brisbane and Milton.
Council continues to investigate opportunities for Suburban Renewal Precincts, where old commercial and industrial land can be transitioned into major mixed-use projects, the Lord Mayor said.
Brisbane Civic Cabinet Chair for City Planning and Suburban Renewal, Adam Allan said maintaining the right balance between traditional industries and new manufacturers will ensure Brisbane gets even better.
“The Our Productive City strategy is fundamentally about unlocking growth and opportunities, including jobs,” Cr Allan.
“Brisbane’s traditional industries will continue to employ lots of people but the really big growth opportunities will come from the new generation of entrepreneurs and manufacturers.
“Establishing new precincts with a more flexible approach to land use will give local garage businesses a place to grow and help us attract established operations from elsewhere.
“These precincts will be thriving places for people to work and for businesses to collaborate.”
Property Council Queensland Executive Director, Jen Williams, welcomed the strategy.
“Industrial property is one of our fastest growing sectors and it is vital Brisbane has a strategy in place that is fit for purpose in a post-pandemic environment,” Ms Williams said.
“The industrial sector has and will continue to evolve rapidly with technology, which will bring a range of economic opportunities to Brisbane.
“To maximise this, the Property Council’s feedback reinforced that industry required enhanced flexibility in industrial uses.
“It is pleasing to see that this strategy does exactly that and I am confident that it will provide Brisbane’s industrial sector with a competitive advantage as we strive to lure high value industries to south east Queensland over the next decade,” Ms Williams said.
Read ‘Our Productive City’ here.
