Community consultation on River Heart Parklands is now open as council seeks to improve the park’s resilience, save millions in future repair costs and deliver a more sustainable park for residents.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said residents are being asked to provide feedback on the future of the popular Ipswich Central parklands up until 29 September 2024.
“River Heart Parklands are enjoyed by our community, but being built so close to the Bremer River they are regularly being inundated by water,” Mayor Harding said.
“We know that flooding and severe weather events are a way of life in Ipswich so we need to be smarter about how we rebuild the River Heart Parklands. Like Colleges Crossing, we will work closely with the community on how we can make River Heart Parklands more flood resilient.
“Everything is on the table, no idea is too big or too small, we are keen to hear from the community and come up with the best solutions to what has been an ongoing problem.”
Mayor Harding said River Heart Parklands first flooded just 12 months after it had opened in 2007, followed by another six flood events, yet the construction materials used to originally build River Heart Parklands were not made to withstand inundation and corrosion.
Infrastructure, Planning and Assets Committee Chairperson and Division 3 Councillor Andrew Antoniolli said River Heart Parklands had enabled people to enjoy the banks of the Bremer River and fully embrace its beauty and its importance to the city and environment.
“However, regular flooding has badly corroded and damaged a number of the structures, particularly the over-water structures,” Cr Antoniolli said.
“Numerous factors and options were considered, however anticipated costs to restore, repair, and maintain were beyond reasonable for Ipswich ratepayers to shoulder.
“This is the community’s opportunity to tell council what is most loved about the parkland and what can be done to deliver a resilient riverside parkland our community will continue to enjoy.”
In June 2024, council approved the removal of most of the over-water structures to improve resilience, reduce ongoing costs and provide a more sustainable park for residents. The cost is expected to be up to $1 million.
Division 3 Councillor Marnie Doyle said each of the seven floods were different and in some instances the parklands precinct was closed for up to four months while it was rehabilitated.
“We are focused on making the parklands more flood resilient and can be re-opened more quickly and at a lower cost after each flood event,” Cr Doyle said.
“We are now seeking input from the community to understand how the parklands have been used in the past and how the community would like to use it in the future.
“We invite you to come chat to us at one of the eight community pop-ups that will be held during the month of consultation. This provides residents an opportunity to meet a member of the project team, ask questions and provide your feedback.”
For more information on the community consultation and pop-up sessions, visit Shape Your Ipswich here.
