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Gardens Point:
A Strategy for Use,
Brisbane City Rehabilitation & Developm nt
Highlights of the report by the joint Queensland Institute of Technology/Brisbane City Council working party
Background to the Study
Gardens Point is a key riverfront Brisbane
peninsula, adjacent to the central business district and including the City Botanic Gardens, Parliament House, Old Government House, the Queensland Institute of Technology and the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.
The area contains elements of great historical and horticultural value and features relating directly to the foundation of the City.
The Gardens were established in 1828 and since then have been a major recreational site for Brisbane people and have come to be regarded as a City landmark.
During the past few years significant changes have occurred in the nature and extent of use of the area.
The Gardens have experienced a changing function with the establishment of the Mt . Coot-tha Botanic Gardens; and now serve dual, and sometimes conflicting purposes of being a haven of peace and tranquility, and at the same time a venue for major concerts and entertainment.
The Gardens also are being increasingly isolated from the City centre because of the traffic demands on Alice Street as a major freeway feeder.
Ol'F's population of 10,000 students andstaff will continue to grow, bringing problems of insufficient accommodation and parking, as well as adding to traffic flow difficulties in the area.
In addition , it is apparent that the settings for Old Government House and Parliament House
inadequately reflect the status of two of Brisbane's most historic buildings.
In recognition of these problems , the Brisbane City Council and the QIT set up a working party using QIT expertise, to conduct a detailed study of the area, with particular emphasis on:
• community needs and attitudes
• the particular requirements of the major institutions in the area
• preservation of the historical and horticultural aspects of Gardens Point
• traffic flow and pedestrian accessibility, and
• accommodation of all of the Gardens' functions.
Brisbane's Lord Mayor, Alderman Sallyanne Atkinson , has launched the development proposal to promote public discussion and to gain feedback on whether the proposal satisfies the community.
The study was carried out from January to
December 1984 and drew on the resources of Ol'F's Planning and Landscape Arch itecture, Surveying, Biology, Civil Engineering and Management Departments.
Data collected in the multi-disciplined study provided a basis for the planning and design stage carried out under the direction of Ms Catherin Bull * in the Department of Planning and Landscape
Architecture at QIT, which resulted in the development proposal.
* Catherin Bull is a senior lecturer in the Department of Planning and Landscape Arch itecture at QIT. She is National President of the Institute of Landscape Architecture and has been a consultant for major developments in Sydney, Melbourne and South East Asia.
The Proposal
The proposed strategy addresses the problems identified and aims to maximise the potential use of the area by the people of Brisbane and nearby
institutions.
The strategy includes major elements affecting the Gardens themselves, access to Gardens Point and its institutions , and other aspects.
City Gardens Aspects
City Gardens Lake: The natural depression ill the centre of the Gardens accommodated a lake until 1937 and it is proposed to re-establish the lake in an extended form as a focus and theme to the Gardens.
The Pavilion: A striking landmark adjacent to the lake and visible from the City centre to house facilities such as a kiosk, information boards and pamphlets, public amenities and a small boat hire operation for rowing on the lake.
Amphitheatre/Sound Shell: Proposed on the site of the B.C.C. service nursery where the spur to the east forms a natural sound buffer to the central Gardens area. The space would serve as the major FREEPS venue and as an informal recreation area for students of the QIT and the Conservatorium, while the rest of the Gardens would remain relatively peaceful.
The Common: A barbecue/picnic area for students and FREEPS patrons, adjacent to the amphitheatre.
The Parliament House Vista: This would provide a grassed vista between Parliament House and the Gardens and a traditional landscape foreground more appropriate to the history of the building.
Yacht Facilities Building: A domain to house facilities for the international yacht marina located near the Edward/Alice Street corner of the Gardens, including small boat tie-up, restricted vehicular access to Edward Street, laundromat, toilets, change rooms and a small kiosk with viewing area.
The Riverside Walk: The riverside is proposed as a major City promen ade, extending from the Yacht Facilities Building along the river to the common. The walk would feature offshoot walks through mangrove and rainforest areas with boards explaining their natural history.
Bunya Promenade: A walk featuring historical Bunya Pines planted in 1858 in honour of colonial botanist, James Bidwill.
The Hill: The area of the existing curator's cottage provides one of the most dramatic outlooks over the Gardens, river and the City . It is proposed to remove all structures from the hill to establish it as a public lookout area and a link between the Gardens and the Point.
Access and other Aspects
The City Gardens Entrance: The major entrance to the Gardens, incorporating a pedestrian boulevard along Albert Street to Queen Street, with bus bays, directive signs etc. This would provide the Gardens with a major entrance and facilitate pedestrian access from the City centre to the Gardens.
Ceremonial Forecourt, Parliament House:
Located off George Street with reduced access to QIT and restricted parking provision.
The Major alT Entrance: Located off Gardens Point Road with provision for an information point, bus bay and turning area to link with the Domain ferry, pick-up/drop-off areas and short-term parking for a limited number of vehicles.
Domain Place: A bus loop to the peninsula from the city centre is envisaged, linking with the Domain ferry .
Community Access Spine: A pedestrian street providing access from carparks and bus and ferry interchanges to the Gardens, via the QIT grounds and beside Old Government House.
Academic Buildings with Carparking: The strip of land between QIT and the Expressway would
accommodate three aesthetic new QIT buildings with landscaped settings to considerably improve the appearance of this area as seen from the Riverside Expressway and the South Bank of the River. Current open carparking on Gardens land would be
accommodated on levels beneath the buildings. This parking would be available to the public on weekends .
Summary
This proposed development strategy provides a number of improvements for the Gardens Point Area.
It serves to :
• maximise potential use of the entire area by Brisbane people and the students and staff of QIT and the Conservatorium
• recognise, retain and appropriately treat the historic elements of the Gardens and related buildings including Parliament House and Old Government House
• emphasize the natural and man-made features and attractions of the peninsula and nearby riverbank
• provide a variety of facilities and venues for activities accessible to all age groups and sections of the community, including weekend parking, and an increase in the area of Gardens land for public use
• retain the traditional function of the peninsula as a green foreground to the City centre for views from the south, east and west and present an aesthetic river aspect of QIT, which fronts a major City gateway and the cultural South Bank
• improve access to Gardens Point by public and private transport and clearly identify separate institutions and areas of use , and
• accommodate QIT growth beyond the year 2000 in a way which is compatible with its setting.
JOHN OXLEY LIBRARY GARDENS POINT : A STRATEGY FOR
USE, REHABILITATION & DEVELOPMENT
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