The Queensland government has appointed landscape architect Catherin Bull AM to chair the board of the South Bank Corporation.
The South Bank Corporation is a state government agency responsible for planning, developing and managing Brisbane’s South Bank Precinct, an area that includes cultural institutions such as the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland Gallery, the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Museum.
The eight new board members also include architect Richard Kirk, outgoing Queensland chapter president of the Australian Institute of Architects, among other experts of infrastructure and business.
Brisbane’s South Bank cultural precinct.
Image: Courtesy Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
“As South Brisbane continues to grow, it’s important that we preserve the precinct’s much loved open spaces and low rise architecture, while also ensuring South Bank continues to be a great place for our community,” said Jackie Trad, Deputy Premier, Minister for Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Trade and Investment.
In 2014, the Australian Institute of Architects Queensland Chapter lodged an application to heritage list South Bank’s cultural precinct, which was granted in 2015. The heritage listing protects the low-rise precinct from a draft masterplan that would have seen it dwarfed by proposed high rises.
“Over three decades, Queensland has invested a great deal to make South Bank its favourite front yard, the place where the community comes to meet, celebrate, have fun and welcome visitors,” Bull said. “The importance of South Bank’s role can only increase as the city and state move into their next phase of development and engage with even greater energy not only locally, but globally.”
In 2015, Bull and Kirk spoke out against a proposal to redevelop Brisbane’s civic precinct, which is located directly across the river from Southbank, into a $2 billion casino resort.
Bull, Kirk and the other board members have been appointed for a three year period which ends 28 February 2019.
