Plans for ‘new South Bank’ at Visy site revealed as developer announced

Plans to transform an industrial block on the riverfront in South Brisbane into thousands of homes and public parkland have been released.

The Queensland government revealed Lendlease was awarded the tender to develop the Visy glass recycling site, with more than 4000 homes to be built on the 7.1-hectare block, which will include about 1.2 hectares of public space.

The project will include riverfront promenades and boardwalks, plazas and “amphitheatre-style” areas, parkland and shared pedestrian and cycling pathways.

Surrounded by piles of crushed glass at the site, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said the land would become “a new South Bank”.

Lendlease added it would have the public sections and about 800 units finished in time for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The glass recycling facility will close in April.

Bleijie, who also serves as the planning minister, and Lendlease chief executive Claire Johnston would not say if money was paid to the government or if the land would remain in public hands, citing “commercial in confidence”.

Asked if he would support information on the ownership structure being made public by Economic Development Queensland, Bleijie responded: “Does it matter?”

“The public are going to have access to 1.2 hectares of land they don’t have access to now … I reckon the taxpayer’s getting a pretty good deal,” the deputy premier said.

Bleijie said the tender process had been run by Economic Development Queensland, and they could be contacted for more information.

Representatives for EDQ did not comment.

More than 80 expressions of interest were lodged during the tender process.

In 2022, the then-Labor state government purchased the Visy glass factory for $165 million, with plans for it to become an Olympic broadcasting centre.

Those plans were scrapped after the LNP government’s 100-day review of Games planning, and developers were asked in October last year to pitch ideas for the land.

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