New state school proposed for Brisbane’s inner west

The site of the former Toowong Bowls Club near Perrin Park has been earmarked for Queensland’s first vertical state primary school.

The Palaszczuk Government confirmed the site is the preferred location for a new state school for Brisbane’s growing inner west suburbs to ease enrolments pressures off Indooroopilly, Ironside and Toowong state schools.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the school is one of 14 new schools her government is delivering over the next three years which is a $1.2 billion investment.

“This school is more than $90 million in investment and will create 200 jobs,” the Premier said.

“Identifying a preferred site is a significant step toward the delivery of a new primary school that will provide children in Brisbane’s inner west with the chance to reach their full potential in a world-class education facility.

“The former Toowong Bowls Club site is a great location for an innovative vertical school design that integrates indoor and outdoor spaces, maximising available land to provide capacity for up to 900 students when Stage 1 and 2 are delivered.

“Building upward instead of outward, helps to alleviate the need for large school sites while complementing the surrounding urban environment.”

Minister for Education Grace Grace said two rounds of community consultation and significant studies into local traffic, flooding, geotechnical and ecological mitigations had informed the identification of the preferred site.

“The Department of Education is committed to liaising with stakeholders to progress the development of this school site, including Brisbane City Council and the local community, as the project advances to ensure the new school contributes to, and is supported by the local community,” Minister Grace said.

“Further community consultation will take place in 2022 as the master plan and design of the new school advance.”

With a flying-fox colony located nearby in Perrin Park, the Department of Education will work with the Commonwealth government to ensure the delivery of the new school does not impact the health of the colony.

Innovative construction methods and management actions will be employed to safeguard the colony.

While delivery of the school for 2024 remains a priority for the Department of Education, so is the preservation of wildlife in the surrounding area and the staging of construction may need to be remodelled to accommodate all interests.

The community is invited to visit the project website for more information as it becomes available at: https://qld.gov.au/newschoolinnerwest.

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Media contact:

Kate Talbot - 0439 803 211