BodyCouncil

Health Precinct breathes new life into Ipswich CBD

A plan to bring hundreds of additional healthcare staff into Ipswich Central – the area from Riverlink to the Top of Town and across to Queens Park – is set to breathe new life into the CBD. Imagining Ipswich as a hospital patient, we’ve examined the plan, and the prognosis is good.

 

PATIENT CASE STUDY

 Patient:

  • Ipswich City CBD

Symptoms:

  • Ailing heart
  • public hospital bursting at the seams
  • rapidly growing population

 Patient History:

  • 215,000 people living in Ipswich and growing at 5.4 per cent, one of the fastest growing regions in the state.
  • Office workers, service industry and retail currently biggest factors in CBD but needs an injection of customers.

 Examination:

  • The patient has a rapidly growing population and the health sector a cornerstone industry.
  • Health industry employs more than 11 000 people in the Ipswich area. The Ipswich Civic Centre would be filled 14 and a half times over to fit this many people in.
  • West Moreton Health has 4000 staff and is one of the largest employers in the region. The Ipswich Civic Centre would be filled five times over to fit this many people in.
  • The West Moreton community is growing, set to increase its population by 113 per cent to 593, 000 by 2036. The increase will be the fastest relative growth of any hospital and health service in Queensland.
  • Ipswich City Council is moving its administration staff into a new building on the corner of Nicholas Street and Union Place upon the building completion in 2020.
  • Council staff will be vacating the Hayden Centre, Ipswich Global Information Centre, Humanities Building and Administration Building.

Treatment:

  • A massive injection of health workers, patients and visitors into the CBD.
  • Ipswich City Council is the biggest land owner between the hospital and the CBD.
  • The rapidly expanding public hospital takes over the vacated council buildings and increases its workforce by 2500 over the next 20 years. The Ipswich Civic Centre would be filled three times over to fit this many people.
  • Countless other health services such as dentists, specialists, x-ray, pathology etc move into the CBD to be close to West Moreton Health.
  • An influx of patients, visitors and staff will be daily in the Ipswich CBD
  • The Metro Hotel, also in South Street, approved by Ipswich City Council to transform into an aged care facility.

Prognosis:

  • The Ipswich Health Precinct will resuscitate the CBD and breathe new life into the heart of the city.

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