Agenda of Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee

Item No.	Item Title	Page No.
	Confirmation of Minutes
1	Confirmation of Minutes of the Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee No. 2021(09) of 7 October 2021	7
	Officers’ Reports
2	Ipswich Central Revitalisation - Positioning Framework and Place Plans	11
3	Nicholas Street Precinct - Communications, Engagement and Events Report October 2021	92
4	Nicholas Street Precinct - Retail Sub-Project Steering Committee October 2021	95
	Notices of Motion
	Matters Arising

Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee

Meeting Agenda

4 November

2021

Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee NO. 2021(09)

7 October 2021

Minutes

COUNCILLORS’ ATTENDANCE: Councillor Marnie Doyle (Chairperson); Mayor Teresa Harding, Councillors Kate Kunzelmann, Russell Milligan and Deputy Mayor Nicole Jonic (Deputy Chairperson)

COUNCILLOR’S APOLOGIES: Nil

OFFICERS’ ATTENDANCE: Acting Chief Executive Officer (Sonia Cooper), Acting General Manager Infrastructure and Environment (Kaye Cavanagh), General Manager Community, Cultural and Economic Development (Ben Pole), General Manager Planning and Regulatory Services (Peter Tabulo), Acting General Manager Corporate Services (Sylvia Swalling), Project Manager (Greg Thomas), Chair – Retail Sub-Project Sub Committee (James Hepburn), Communications, Events and Engagement Manager (Karyn Sutton), Manager Economic and Community Development (Cat Matson), Manager Communications and Engagement (Laura Bos), Senior Digital Media and Content Officer (Jodie Richter) and (Theatre Technician) Trent Gray

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN MATTERS ON THE AGENDA

Nil

BUSINESS OUTSTANDING

Nil

Confirmation of Minutes

1. Confirmation of Minutes of the Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee No. 2021(08) of 2 September 2021

RECOMMENDATION

Moved by Councillor Marnie Doyle:

Seconded by Councillor Russell Milligan:

That the minutes of the Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee
No. 2021(08) held on 2 September 2021 be confirmed.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE

Councillors: Councillors:

Doyle Nil

Harding

Kunzelmann

Milligan

Jonic

The motion was put and carried.

Officers’ Reports

2. Nicholas St Precinct - Retail Sub-Project Steering Committee Report September 2021

This is a report concerning the September 2021 report from the Retail Sub-Project Steering Committee on the status of the leasing program and associated developments with the retail component of the Nicholas St Precinct redevelopment.

RECOMMENDATION

Moved by Mayor Teresa Harding:

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Nicole Jonic:

That the September 2021 Retail Sub-Project Steering Committee Report be received and the contents noted.

Councillor Kate Kunzelmann moved an amendment to the recommendation with the addition of the following Recommendation:

That Attachment 1 titled Draft RSPSC Minutes – September 2021 be amended by removing Councillor Kunzelmann from the Observers list.

After discussion Councillor Kunzelmann withdrew the proposed amendment.

RECOMMENDATION

Moved by Mayor Teresa Harding:

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Nicole Jonic:

That the September 2021 Retail Sub-Project Steering Committee Report be received and the contents noted.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE

Councillors: Councillors:

Doyle Nil

Harding

Kunzelmann

Milligan

Jonic

The motion was put and carried.

3. Nicholas Street Precinct - communications, engagement and events report August 2021

This is a report concerning the communications, engagement and events activity undertaken and planned for the Nicholas Street Precinct in September 2021.

RECOMMENDATION

Moved by Councillor Russell Milligan:

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Nicole Jonic:

That the Nicholas Street Precinct Communications, Engagement and Events Monthly Report be received and the contents noted.

Councillor Kate Kunzelmann proposed an amendment to the officer’s report:

That the opening hours of the Bradfield Bridge as outlined on page 31 of the agenda be replaced with ‘open 6.00 am to 9.00 pm’ instead of ‘open 6.00 am to 9.00 am’.

The mover and seconder of the original motion agreed to the proposed amendment.

RECOMMENDATION

Moved by Councillor Russell Milligan:

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Nicole Jonic:

A. That the Nicholas Street Precinct Communications, Engagement and Events Monthly Report be received and the contents noted.

B. That the opening hours of the Bradfield Bridge as outlined on page 32 of the agenda be replaced with ‘open 6.00 am to 9.00 pm’ instead of ‘open 6.00 am to 9.00 am’.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE

Councillors: Councillors:

Doyle Nil

Harding

Kunzelmann

Milligan

Jonic

The motion was put and carried.

NOTICES OF MOTION

Nil

MATTERS ARISING

Nil

PROCEDURAL MOTIONS AND FORMAL MATTERS

The meeting commenced at 11.35 am.

The meeting closed at 12.00 pm.

Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee

Meeting Agenda

4 November

2021

Doc ID No: A7589833

ITEM: 2

SUBJECT: Ipswich Central Revitalisation - Positioning Framework and Place Plans

AUTHOR: Project Manager - Ipswich Central

DATE: 27 September 2021

Executive Summary

This is a report concerning the approval and adoption of the Positioning Framework, including the Priority Projects and Place Plans for the Ipswich Central Revitalisation Project.

Recommendation/s

A. That the Ipswich Central Positioning Framework, including the supplementary Priority Projects be endorsed. (Attachment 1 and 2)

B. That the Place Plans – Ipswich Centre Core and Top of Town be endorsed. (Attachment 3)

RELATED PARTIES

There are no discernible conflicts of interest arising as a result of this report and its recommendations.

ifuture Theme

Vibrant and Growing

Safe, Inclusive and Creative

Purpose of Report/Background

The Ipswich Central Revitalisation Project has been identified in the iFuture Corporate Plan as a catalyst project for 2021-2026.

The documents presented with this report are a result of extensive engagement on the project, they provide a clear vision for Ipswich Central with a strong direction and an actionable plan for implementation.

Attachment 1: Revitalising Ipswich Central: A prospectus to guide change (Positioning Framework)

The positioning framework sets out the following vision: Ipswich Central is the cultural hub and beating heart of the Ipswich community. The vision is supported by six principles that describe the place attributes and priority areas of focus:

1. A cultural destination

2. Alive

3. Green and connected

4. A home

5. Prosperous

6. Future focused

Within each of these principles are key objectives which align:

· current activities;

· investment opportunities and projects; and

· strategies, policies and plans

The development of the Positioning Framework was informed by extensive community engagement from June – August 2021, including:

· 40 stakeholder interviews

· Business briefing night attended by 42 local stakeholders

· 200 businesses visited during the trader door-knock

· Online engagement with three different activities on Shape your Ipswich, generating more than 2,600 views, 206 project followers and 159 specific contributions

· Six in-person pop-up engagement sessions at different locations around Ipswich Central, generating engagement from 423 people and 34 unique project ideas

· The SPARK Lounge pop-up event where approximately 150 attendees contributed 434 dots to the dotmocracy activity while enjoying food, entertainment and shopping experiences provided by 20 local businesses

A complete summary of the community engagement can be found in Attachment 4: Ipswich Central Revitalisation Engagement Summary 2021.

Further community engagement was undertaken on the draft Positioning Framework; this commenced on Friday 3 September and concluded on Friday 24 September 2021. The community were asked to respond to the draft through the Shape your Ipswich platform.

From the feedback received on the framework, 80% said that ‘we have got it right’. The other 20% provided specific feedback on the Positioning Framework’s relationship with iFuture, infrastructure projects, First Nations and liveability. That feedback was incorporated into the final document. In addition to the formal online feedback, supportive emails were received from key external stakeholders who contributed to the interviews in the initial engagement phase for the project.

Attachment 2: Revitalising Ipswich Central: From Plans into Actions

To supplement the Positioning Framework, this document outlines the priority projects and establishes the significant potential to move Ipswich Central forward towards its vision.

The 43 projects identified through the engagement process have been scored based on the following four criteria:

1. Aligned to the Ipswich Central vision and principles

2. Quick delivery

3. Transformational impact

4. Enabling capacity

The top six projects have been identified and prioritises projects that will guide transformational change.

The following projects will establish a strategic focus for investment and deployment of resources:

· Place Plans - Ipswich Centre Core and Top of Town

· Green Walkable Streets

· Ipswich Central Wayfinding Strategy

· Development of the Inner-City Living Strategy

· Arts and Cultural Strategy, 2018-2023 and the Addendum, 2021

· Development of a Public Art Strategy

Attachment 3: Place Plans

The Place Plans for Ipswich Centre Core and Top of Town have captured community ideas and aspirations and built on those ideas to create a roadmap for future use, activation and reimagining spaces.

The ideas noted in this plan were all gathered through the face-to-face community engagement pop up sessions held in July and the feedback from the engagement activities on Shape your Ipswich.

The Ipswich Central Revitalisation project has been built on a place-based approach. This approach puts local community and stakeholder voices at the centre of decision-making through a highly engaging and collaborative program - where local people can be actively involved in shaping change. As such, it is important the plans and recommended actions for Ipswich Centre Core and Top of Town align with the three pillars for place creation – Shape, Activate and Manage.

The Ipswich Central Partnership Group will be instrumental in implementing these plans. The group is made up of passionate individuals including local businesses, landowners and residents. This volunteer group was formed to drive place-based outcomes. They form a conduit between council and the community with the objective of building support and leading implementation of the Place Plans in partnership with other local community members, businesses, private sector, schools, and landowners.

Legal/Policy Basis

This report and its recommendations are consistent with the following legislative provisions:

Not Applicable

RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

Financial: Currently there is no specific budget allocated to the Ipswich Central Revitalisation project. While many of the projects outlined can be considered business-as-usual across different departments within council, other projects aren’t planned for the immediate future. Realisation of the vision and plans will require a coordinated approach to funding projects across departments. To mitigate this, the project team will work with the project management office to put forward mid-year budget bids and develop a specific budget for 2021/2022 financial year.

Reputational: The development of these documents; the prospectus, the action plan and the place plans; have been developed with significant community engagement. They are substantially community-led. The risk of not endorsing the plan could reflect adversely on council’s commitment to engage and deliver based on community input.

Strategic: The risk of not endorsing the recommendation is that Council will not have a strategic direction for the Ipswich Central Revitalisation project; a lack of strategic direction for the City Centre will have a negative impact on wider economic and strategic plans for the region.

Further, the Ipswich Central Revitalisation Project has been identified as a catalyst project in the iFuture Corporate Plan. Failure to endorse and adopt the plans could hinder Council’s ability to deliver on this project.

HUMAN RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS

HUMAN RIGHTS IMPACTS
OTHER DECISION

(a) What is the Act/Decision being made?	Recommendation A states that the Ipswich Central Positioning Framework, including the supplementary Priority Projects are endorsed and adopted. Recommendation B states that the Place Plans – Ipswich Centre Core and Top of Town be endorsed.
(b) What human rights are affected?	No human rights are affected by this decision. The Ipswich Central Revitalisation is the strategic direction for prioritising and directing Council’s 10-year work plan in Ipswich Central.
(c) How are the human rights limited?	Not applicable
(d) Is there a good reason for limiting the relevant rights? Is the limitation fair and reasonable?	Not applicable
(e) Conclusion	The decision is consistent with human rights.

Financial/RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

All activities to date have funded from the approved Economic Development Section budget, 2020-2021.

Budgets for implementation need to be developed or sourced from existing budgeted projects.

COMMUNITY and OTHER CONSULTATION

Ipswich Central – Visioning and Placemaking Consultation

As outlined in the Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee No. 2020(02) dated 21 July 2020, titled ‘Ipswich Central – Visioning and Placemaking’ the following community consultation has occurred:

In November 2019 an invitation was sent to the Business Ipswich database (approx. 400) inviting stakeholders to attend two external workshops in early December. Ipswich First published a story, inviting the community to be part of these workshops.

The workshops were two hours in length, were interactive and facilitated by Co-Design Studio with the assistance of Vee Design, after business hours. The participants in the workshop represented a broad cross section of demographics, including youth, business owners, retirees, and community members.

In addition to the external workshops, the questions were replicated on the Shape your Ipswich platform and allowed people who could not attend in person to be part of the engagement. The workshops were promoted to registered users of Shape your Ipswich through their newsletter and the community engagement remained open until the end of January 2020.

The two workshops had 32 people in total with an additional 50 responses on Shape your Ipswich.

On 31 January 2020 Co-Design Studio and Vee Design held an internal workshop with approximately 35 people from across Council including Section Managers, Branch Managers, General Managers and subject matter experts. The same exercise was undertaken with internal staff as what was taken with external participants, with an additional section on implementation and roles and responsibilities.

To further inform the approach, Neighbourlytics was used to compare and contrast Ipswich Central, Springfield and Ripley. It provided a summary of data within each neighbourhood and then an analysis was undertaken into the social chatter and geotagging in each of the areas. .id added an additional layer of economic data and ABS was also used to inform aspects of the user profiles for Ipswich Central.

Positioning Framework, Priority Projects and Place Plans Engagement

The interaction from the June/July engagement program was strong and the information gathered was used to inform both the positioning framework and the place plans.

Approximately 3,500 people were directly engaged in this series of activities:

· 2,600 + online views on Shape your Ipswich – Ipswich Central site

o 962 visitors visiting the site for the first time

· 159 contributions on Shape your Ipswich

· 27 applications for the Ipswich Central Partnership Groups

· 13 expression of interest to be involved in the SPARK Lounge event

· 20 local businesses contributed to the SPARK Lounge event

· 662 approximately people participated in the in-person engagement opportunities

· 207 followers on the Shape Your Ipswich – Ipswich Central site

Draft Positioning Framework Engagement

Further engagement was sought on the draft Positioning Framework to confirm the plan truly articulated the community vision and aspirations. This phase of engagement ran from Friday 3 September until Friday 24 September 2021.

In addition to the media release on 17 September, the community were notified by emails on 3 and 10 September that they could have their say on the draft through Shape your Ipswich. The lists and platforms used are outlined below:

Channel	Date sent	Number of Recipients	Number of Opens	Number of Clicks	Percentage
Shape your Ipswich – Ipswich Central	3/09/2021	205	114	38	33.33%
Ipswich Central databases	10/09/2021	548	239	48	20.08%

The community were asked ‘Have we got it right?’ and they had the opportunity to provide feedback on whether anything was missing or any other feedback they wanted to provide. All feedback was directed through Shape your Ipswich – Ipswich Central and the results are outlined below.

80% of respondents said that we had it right. The other 20% provided specific feedback on the Positioning Framework’s relationship with iFuture, infrastructure projects, First Nations and liveability. For those that answered no, we were able to take the feedback provided and make changes.

Below is the graphical data showing the engagement during the period on the Shape your Ipswich – Ipswich Central page.

Chart, line chart

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Calendar

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During the initial consultation which commenced in April 2021, key external stakeholders were invited to meet one on one with the consultant team and Economic Development to discuss their thoughts and ideas on Ipswich Central Revitalisation. The participants from these meeting were individually sent a copy of the draft Positioning Framework seeking feedback. Responses were received from private business holders and State Government personnel and consequently updates to the draft Positioning Framework occurred.

Place Plans

The Place Plans for both precincts were informed by community feedback. The ideas gathered through the six pop up engagement sessions, SPARK Lounge, staff in 1 Nicholas Street, and the online engagement on Shape your Ipswich were organized into the two Place Plans. (See Attachment 4 – Community Engagement Summary August 2021)

In the first meeting of the Ipswich Central Partnership Group participants were divided into smaller groups to develop further ideas relevant to either the Top of Town or Ipswich Centre Core precincts. The Ipswich Central Partnership Group spent time expanding on ideas and concepts provided through the community engagement. Members voted for their preferred ideas to prioritise the groups focus. During subsequent meetings the ideas identified will continue to change and evolve as they progress toward implementation.

Conclusion

The Ipswich Central Revitalisation Project has been identified in the Ipswich iFuture Corporate Plan as a catalyst project for 2021-2026.

The project has taken a place-based approach which involves working collaboratively with local business the community and internal council stakeholders to drive the change required to see the vision for Ipswich Central come to life.

The Prospectus, Priority Projects and Place Plans provide a clear direction for Council, investors, local business owners, asset owners and the community as a whole. Endorsing these plans will align the resources, imagination and willingness of all stakeholders who are chomping at the bit to help revitalise Ipswich Central.

Attachments and Confidential Background Papers

1.	Revitalising Ipswich Central: A prospectus to guide change (Positioning Framework) ⇩
2.	Revitalising Ipswich Central: From Plans to Action (Priority Projects) ⇩
3.	Top of Town and Centre Core Place Plans ⇩
4.	Ipswich Central Revitalisation Engagement Summary 2021 ⇩

Erin Marchant

Project Manager - Ipswich Central

I concur with the recommendations contained in this report.

Cat Matson

Manager, Economic and Community Development

I concur with the recommendations contained in this report.

Ben Pole

General Manager - Community, Cultural and Economic Development

“Together, we proudly enhance the quality of life for our community”

Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee

Meeting Agenda

4 November

2021

Doc ID No: A7650586

ITEM: 3

SUBJECT: Nicholas Street Precinct - communications, engagement and events report October 2021

AUTHOR: Communications, Events and Engagement Manager

DATE: 22 October 2021

Executive Summary

This is a report concerning the communications, engagement and events activity undertaken and planned for the Nicholas Street Precinct in October 2021.

Recommendation/s

That the Nicholas Street Precinct Communications, Engagement and Events Monthly Report be received and the contents noted.

RELATED PARTIES

The Acting General Manager of Infrastructure and Environment has declared a conflict of interest in relation to the Handmade Expo Markets operation. The conflict of interest has been declared to the Chief Executive Officer and the Acting General Manager and has not been involved in relation to this aspect of the program.

ifuture Theme

Safe, Inclusive and Creative

Calendar of Events

The Nicholas Street Precinct calendar of events for October included daily food trucks, the regular monthly Ipswich Twilight Market and Handmade Market Expo, all well received by the community with growing attendance.

Upcoming events

A Spooktacular Halloween movie night will take place on Saturday, 30 October featuring Hotel Transylvania 3. Guests will be invited to dress up in Halloween costume, and the event will feature popcorn, jumping castle and treats for the children.

Day for Daniel Walk on Friday, 29 October, in partnership with the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, Queensland Police Service, Ipswich Community Youth Services and ICC will celebrate the 10^th year of the walk with the purpose to raise awareness and education of Child Safety.

The Ipswich Plant and Garden Expo will take place on Saturday, 6 November, from 9am to 1pm with over 50 stallholders. This new event offers free entry and will feature a selection of indoor, outdoor, and rare plant species for purchase.

Finalisation of the Christmas holiday program is underway in partnership with the city events team, and a family friendly Australia Day celebration event featuring live music, waterplay and children’s activities is also in final planning stages.

Marketing

We look forward to welcoming our first tenant into EATS in late November with newly designed hoardings installed across all tenancies.

Following a vendor panel application, Sabio (previously known as P4) has been selected as the agency to facilitate brand development and website delivery for the Nicholas St Precinct. Sabio will facilitate a brand workshop to support the expansion of the current brand into the next stage of tenant onboarding, events and customer loyalty with the aim to deliver a new Nicholas St Precinct website for the new year.

Strategic Spaces have delivered a cohesive strategy and design concept for all external signage within the precinct and carpark. The strategy is positioned to build a unique identity whilst connecting place and heritage. Following consultation, the strategy will move into fabrication stage to ensure delivery and completion by Easter 2022.

The quarterly stakeholder meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 28 October with an invitation extended to current tenants. This meeting offers an engagement opportunity to update tenants on the progression of the precinct and learn more about their business heading into the busy holiday period.

Legal/Policy Basis

This report and its recommendations are consistent with the following legislative provisions:

Local Government Act 2009

RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

Comprehensive COVID-19 plans are in place for all events utilising the dedicated QLD Check-in app to support contact tracing. In addition, the enforcement of the issues and crisis plan, emergency plan and engagement of 1800-medics to support as appropriate.

Licencing remains an ongoing discussion in regard to permits and licencing for events and general use of the precinct to ensure compliance and long-term framework.

HUMAN RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS

RECEIVE AND NOTE REPORT

The recommendation states that the report be received and the contents noted. The decision to receive and note the report does not limit human rights. Therefore, the decision is compatible with human rights.

Financial/RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

A budget for 2021-2022 for the delivery of the communications, engagement and activation program has been approved by Council.

COMMUNITY and OTHER CONSULTATION

Internal and external consultation during August included key precinct stakeholders (landlords and business owners), West Moreton Health, project partners and contractors (Ranbury, Hutchinsons, event organisers, etc).

Conclusion

This report features a summary of the communications, engagement and event activity undertaken throughout October in support of the Nicholas Street Precinct with the goal of creating awareness, enlivening the space and encouraging the community to ‘come and explore’.

Karyn Sutton

Communications, Events and Engagement Manager

I concur with the recommendations contained in this report.

Sean Madigan

Acting General Manager - Infrastructure and Environment

“Together, we proudly enhance the quality of life for our community”

Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee

Meeting Agenda

4 November

2021

Doc ID No: A7618318

ITEM: 4

SUBJECT: Nicholas Street Precinct - Retail Sub-Project Steering Committee October 2021

AUTHOR: Project Manager

DATE: 11 October 2021

Executive Summary

This is a report concerning the October 2021 report from the Retail Sub-Project Steering Committee on the status of the leasing program and associated developments with the retail component of the Nicholas St Precinct redevelopment.

Recommendation/s

That the October 2021 Retail Sub-Project Steering Committee Report be received and the contents noted.

RELATED PARTIES

Ranbury Management Group - Program Management PartnerRanbury Property Services - Retail Leasing Agent

Councillor Fechner may have a potential conflict of interest in relation to this matter.

Councillor Madsen may have a potential conflict of interest in relation to this matter.

ifuture Theme

Vibrant and Growing

Purpose of Report/Background

The Retail Sub-Project Steering Committee (RSPSC) supports the Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee (ICRC) in delivering the Nicholas St Precinct redevelopment. The RSPSC reports monthly to the ICRC on the planning, development, delivery and operations of the Nicholas St Precinct’s retail and commercial assets.

The October 2021 meeting of the RSPSC focussed on the status of retail leasing including the cinema tender process, progress of works to refurbish the Eats and Metro B buildings assets and the outcomes of the recent consultancy to improve wayfinding. Refer Attachment 1 for the draft RSPSC October 2021 minutes.

During the month, the Green Building Council of Australia confirmed that following a post construction assessment, 1 Nicholas Street is now officially rated as a 5 Star Green Star building.

The table below identifies the status of tenancy negotiations as at Friday 22 October 2021. During the month one Heads of Agreement was submitted for Council’s consideration, the commercial terms of which have now been assessed by council’s independent advisor. Positive discussions have continued with offers issued to several operators for tenancies in both Eats and Metro B. It is anticipated that due to proposed loosening of Covid-19 restrictions in both NSW and Victoria, previously stalled negotiations with southern based operators will recommence.

Deal Status	October 2021	Change from September 2021
HOA Signed (non-legally binding) #	15	+1
Pending Approval by Council	1	+1
Lease Documents Issued	11	+1
Lease Documents Being Prepared	3	-1
Leases Executed by Lessee	1	-
Leases Executed by Lessor (Council)	1	-

In January 2021, Council resolved to undertake an Expression of Interest (EOI)/tender process for the management and operations of the precinct’s cinema complex. Following a successful EOI component, the tender process closed on 4 August 2021 with submissions from each of the EOI participants. Council is undertaking a thorough tender assessment process to deliver the best possible outcome for the anchor tenancy. It is still anticipated that the resulting arrangement with the preferred operator will be finalised and executed within the next few months.

Refurbishment of the Eats and Metro B buildings (including Metro A façade and adjoining streetscape works) continued during the month. Eats’ refurbishment will be completed in time to allow for the first tenancy (Eats T1) to open on 12 November 2021. The opening of the precinct’s first tenancy is a positive step in the redevelopment’s future success. Works to Metro B and adjacent streetscape works are on track for completion in December 2021, with the completion of associated landlord works allowing for tenant fit-out for the planned opening in Easter 2022.

As conditioned by Council, the extension to the Commonwealth Hotel is subject to an executed AFL. Negotiations with the preferred operator are well advanced and it is currently anticipated that that an AFL for the future operation of the hotel will be executed by January 2021. The development application associated with the extension has been lodged with Council. Preparations for the procurement of a contractor to deliver the design and construct contract are advanced.

Due to the proximity of the Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee’s meeting to the end of the reporting month, the October 2021 Executive Report will be provided as part of the November 2021 committee report. Refer Attachment 2 for the September 2021 Executive Report.

Legal/Policy Basis

This report and its recommendations are consistent with the following legislative provisions:

Local Government Act 2009

Local Government Regulation 2012

RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

Challenges to retail leasing continue including but not limited to COVID-19 impacts, the pace of the retail market rebound, the NSW and Victoria lockdown causing a loss of focus by prospective tenants, the securing of anchor and other tenants and the attractiveness of the offer from the lessor, (council) in the current market conditions.

The conversion of endorsed HOA’s into legally binding AFLs/leases remains a critical outcome given the progress of refurbishment works on both the Eats and Metro B buildings.

The extension to the Commonwealth Hotel and the refurbishment of the Venue building are both contingent on the execution of AFL (or management agreement in the Venue’s case) with the anchor tenants.

HUMAN RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS

HUMAN RIGHTS IMPACTS

RECEIVE AND NOTE REPORT

Financial/RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

The retail precinct’s short-term commercial success remains dependent on identifying, attracting and securing a commercially viable tenancy mix through executed leases. Commercial success in the medium to longer term will require a comprehensive and ongoing activation and management strategy to support tenants and deliver a revitalised and activated precinct.

COMMUNITY and OTHER CONSULTATION

The contents of this report did not require any community consultation.

Conclusion

Retail leasing including the process to secure key anchor tenants for both the cinema and the Commonwealth Hotel has continued to progress with the conversion of HOA’s into AFL’s/leases remaining a key priority. Achieving executed leasing arrangements with prospective tenants is critical given the upcoming completion of the Eats and Metro B refurbishments and the proposed works to the Commonwealth Hotel and Venue buildings.

Attachments and Confidential Background Papers