Latest update 4 October 2011: BOGGO ROAD ENTERS NEW PLANNING PHASE, BUT WILL NOT REOPEN BEFORE 2013

The Queensland Government have announced that they have signed a project deed with Leighton Properties for a $275million redevelopment project at the Boggo Road Urban Village (BRUV), including the gaol itself.

No concrete plans have yet been made, especially regarding the gaol, and now is the start of a consultation period during which various stakeholders will have input into coming up with a plan for the gaol. This will take nine months, and the resulting plan will then require approval from the Queensland Heritage Council and the Brisbane City Council.

Renovations and repairs to the gaol will take place when/if approval is granted. A 2013 reopening still looks like the most likely scenario.

Overall plans for the BRUV include:

There will be residential and retail buildings near the gaol.
Boggo Road gaol will be a ‘centrepiece’ of the Boggo Road Urban Village and used to attract visitors to the area.
State government will still own the site, and in the long term will be looking for a level of financial self-sufficiency from the gaol.
A retail strip is planned for between the gaol and the Ecoscience building

Some specific proposals for the gaol include:

Some areas inside the prison will be reused/readapted for commercial purposes. The extent of how much, and what form it will take, will be one of the outcomes of the upcoming consultation.
Developers are looking at ‘commercial’ reuse of at least one of the cellblocks.
Developers emphasised that school visits and education will be a priority.
They are also looking at on-site storage and display of artefacts.
The next few months will be a ‘data collection phase’ which will include research of the history, discussion of possible use options, and Tanner Architects will do a physical audit of the buildings.

It is important to remember than no concrete plans have been made and the above will be discussed over the coming months.

See The Boggo Blog for 'The Boggo Road Reopening Saga V: A New Hope'

Boggo Road Urban Village

LATEST FROM 'THE BOGGO BLOG' ABOUT THE REOPENING