CONCEPT MASTERPLAN PUT INTO PLAY

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, April 15, 2009

An ambitious plan with far reaching positive outcomes for both racing enthusiasts and the broader Brisbane community has been announced by Kevin Dixon, Chairman of the Brisbane Racing Club (BRC).

Dixon unveiled “a bold, concept master-plan to make Brisbane a first-class racing destination hosting some of Australia’s richest and bigger races.”

For many years various ideas for improvement and development of land have been touted individually by the two Metropolitan race-clubs, the Queensland Turf Club and the Brisbane Turf Club, with little of real consequence being achieved. The merger of the two clubs changed the planning parameters. It allowed project managers to deal with one entity – the entire Brisbane Metropolitan Racing precinct – and it thus allowed them plan for maximum benefit.

“At the time the members of the two clubs voted to merge, it unlocked a whole new opportunity,” explained Dixon. “That opportunity is that planning could now involve the whole precinct. Many people took that to mean that we would shed one of the race-courses. That is not the case. This club has a fundamental view that we are one club with two tracks – and, most importantly for those who had any doubts, that fact has always been part and parcel of any planning strategy.

“The merger has allowed the planning process to take a quantum leap and leads us to where we are today – namely in a position to unveil our concept master plan,” continued Dixon. “For racing, it’s about achieving the highest standard with the best facilities. For the local environment and the local area in which we are housed, it’s about giving everyone a lifestyle that will be the envy of the rest of Brisbane. For Queensland, it is about growing the economy with a development that is completely self-sufficient. We can no longer stand still. We can no longer procrastinate and we can no longer live in the past.

“Brisbane Racing Club, our major partner Watpac and architects Cox Rayner, will be working very closely with the Brisbane City Council to gain the necessary approvals for this concept master plan.”

The plan is multifaceted and lengthy in detail. Beyond the grand scope of the plan, the absolute benefit of the concept master plan is in the detail. Factors falling under headings such as Project Economics, Welfare of Horses, Track Enhancements (at both Eagle Farm and Doomben), Raceday Patrons, Community Leisure and Lifestyle, Traffic and Parking, Heritage and Sustainability have been rigorously researched and thoroughly detailed. No less than seventy points are itemised under these headings in the Brisbane Racing Club’s fact sheet. As such they cannot be recounted in their entirety here. The three major points are:

The concept master plan is a totally self-funded development. In spite of the intimidating projected cost of $1.2 billion, there is no requirement for funding of any kind from the Government or Queensland Racing Limited. Development of the redundant land will provide the income source.

$400 million of the cost is dedicated to upgrading racing facilities, some of which will be the first priority.

Subject to development approval and on-going market conditions, the lifespan of the project is expected to be between ten and fifteen years. In theory that means that the project will progress at a rate of roughly $100 million a year, with an estimated 1300 jobs being created for each year of construction.

“The reason we are announcing our vision today,” explained Dixon, “is we want to ensure the community is well aware of the project. We will provide the community with every detail. We will listen to their feedback. We won’t be looking to lodge the formal development application with the Brisbane City Council for at least another six to twelve months while this feedback process is taking place. We are going to dot all of the i’s and cross all of the t’s on this development to ensure it is something the majority of Brisbane will be proud of. The BRC will establish a Community Reference Group, the concept being to build partnerships and give a voice to the local community so that together we create a shared vision.”

For those who want to be fully informed of the plans in place for progress, there are several options to get up to speed.

Details of the concept master plan can be viewed at www.brc.com.au
Any interested party can visit the Administrative Office at Eagle Farm to view displays.
There is a dedicated phone number to contact on 1300101389
E-mail contact via masterplan.brc.com.au

During a media conference held by Dixon and Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, the duo were flanked by two apprentice jockeys wearing the new racing silks of the BRC. They were there, not for show, but rather to emphasise an important aspect of what is on the line when the racing plans its future. As Dixon said in his introduction, “I would like to acknowledge two important people, who are standing here to the side of me – Amy Taylor and Mitch Wood. Their faces are what this announcement is all about – the future of racing in Brisbane. Amy and Mitch are two apprentices based here in Brisbane and their future depends on a viable and prosperous racing future here in Brisbane.”

So does the future of many thousands of other jobs within the racing industry.

The concept master plan is ambitious to say the least. Many hurdles have to be overcome and the lengthy timeframe means that the project will at times be subject to forces beyond its control which will threaten its path. There will also be many sceptics out there voicing opinions which will do the project no favours. That is their right and, on some past evidence, they do have ammunition.

But this is a new club and it is a new ballgame. Importantly, the proposal on the table secures the future of both Eagle Farm and Doomben as the prime Metropolitan racing venues, which has long been a point of contention.

The bottom line is that, whether the plan ultimately succeeds in its entirety, in part or not at all – it deserves to be given a chance. All too often race-club directors are berated for their lack of action. Now they are being proactive and telling you exactly what they are doing.

It’s time to get moving!