Greens survey inner city about turning Eagle Farm into public housing and schools
The Greens have started a campaign to have the Eagle Farm racecourse turned into a site with 4000 public, rent-capped apartments as well as parkland, native forest and schools.
Inner city homes have been targeted with a survey pushing the proposal and asking for feedback.
It follows the Greens’ capitulation on a national rent freeze after the Federal Government significantly increased its funding for housing.
“Our proposal would help end the special treatment of the Brisbane Racing Club and cuts out profit-hungry developers,” The Greens said.
Mirvac recently won the right to redevelop Brisbane Racing Club’s $750 million Eagle Farm residential precinct which is part of the Eagle Farm Master Plan that includes more than 1200 trackside apartments, along with retail and commercial buildings.
The master plan has an estimated value of $1.5 billion. Office, residential and retirement projects are already underway.
“We propose that Brisbane City Council should acquire 40 hectares of the Eagle Farm Racecourse site, bringing it under public control to develop a lush, green, medium-density, mixed-use walkable neighbourhood,” the Greens said.
“The council should work with State and Federal governments and local First Nations groups to ultimately restore land ownership to a non-profit First Nations-controlled community organisation.
The LNP Council and Labor State government have already allowed BRC to start developing luxury apartments along the edge of the site. But we think that if housing is to be built on racecourse land that’s currently zoned “Sport and Recreation,” it should remain publicly owned. ”
“We propose five-storey buildings, with ground-floor shops, offices and services. These homes would be built alongside the newly-upgraded Ascot train station and along a new free, high-frequency bus route that runs through the middle of the site. ”
The Greens also support the inclusion of schools, library and community centre.
