THIS is the first glimpse of how stage one of the billion dollar redevelopment of Ipswich’s CBD will look when completed.
Bulldozers are expected to clear sections of the Ipswich City Square building on the corner of Brisbane and Bell Sts by Christmas to make way for the commercial office tower.
The 10-storey tower, which is tipped to be the future home of 1200 state public service jobs, will have underground car parking and retail businesses on its street frontage.
It will extend to the Ipswich City Square food court, but not affect businesses there.
Ipswich City Council set up the Ipswich City Properties business to purchase the site in 2009, and Leighton Properties last year was announced the project’s development partner.
Mayor Paul Pisasale said after so much talk about the revitalisation of the CBD, he was happy to see work was just months away from beginning.
Leighton Properties has plans to start bulldozing there by December, and work should start on another CBD redevelopment, the $25 million major upgrade of the Coles supermarket in Limestone St, in coming months.
“When we first launched the plan, some people just said it was all talk,” Cr Pisasale said.
“It’s not all talk – we are delivering on what we promised.”
A final tenancy agreement has not yet been officially signed, but the State Government has previously said many times that it was looking to move some jobs into the Ipswich CBD.
The commercial officer tower is widely held to be the destination for Queensland Rail jobs.
When the State Budget was delivered earlier this month, it was announced a slice of $53.8 million would be spent on the decentralisation of jobs to Ipswich.
“Negotiations are continuing to secure a lease for a minimum of 15,000sq m of new office space in the Ipswich CBD,” Government Services Minister Simon Finn said at the time.
The council must okay Leighton and Coles’ development applications before work begins.
Leighton Properties was contacted for comment but could not respond before deadline
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