Greater Springfield Queensland | |
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Coordinates | 27°41′08″S152°54′15″E / 27.6855°S 152.9041°E |
Population | 47,000 (2021) [1] |
Postcode(s) | 4300 |
Location | |
LGA(s) | City of Ipswich |
State electorate(s) | |
Federal division(s) |
Greater Springfield is a private development undertaken by the Springfield City Group and one of the fastest-growing developments in Australia; it is located in Ipswich, in the south-west of the Brisbane metropolitan area in Queensland, Australia. It is the first privately built city in Australia and the country’s largest master planned community (tenth largest globally), encompassing 2,860 hectares (7067 acres).
In 2021, the population of Greater Springfield was estimated around 47,000, with a projection to grow to 105,000 residents by 2030. [1] Community development is managed and coordinated by Springfield City Group. The plan is to have a group of suburbs with the population of Darwin by 2030.
In 2019, Springfield City Group was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in recognition of their visionary entrepreneurship in establishing Springfield, as a nation-building project and Australia's first privately-constructed city. [2]
Greater Springfield was founded in 1993.[ when? ] In 1993. The land was originally purchased for A$7.9 million and acquired in 1991 by Maha Sinnathamby and Bob Sharpless. Sinnathamby and Sharpless assembled a team and developed Greater Springfield masterplan based on interconnected pillars of health, education and information technology.
The Local Government (Springfield Zoning) Act 1997 was gazetted in view of the long term nature of development being undertaken across Greater Springfield. This Act gave rise to a unique Planning Regime which provides certainty to the developer. The Structure Plan established a unique assessment process that ensures the intentions, provisions and understanding in and behind the Springfield Structure Plan are not to be overreached or changed through Local Planning Policies so to adversely affect the development entitlements conferred by the Structure Plan. All levels of Government recognise that the achievement of this goal is essential to ensure the certainty of the development rights. From Springfield City Group's (SCG’s) viewpoint such certainty is essential to the future proofing of the project.
The suburbs of the region generally known as Greater Springfield are Springfield Central, Springfield Lakes, Brookwater, Augustine Heights, Spring Mountain and Springfield itself. 30 per cent of Greater Springfield is dedicated to absolute green space.
The first stage of Springfield's largest shopping centre, Orion Springfield Central, has been open since 15 March 2007. Major tenants now include Woolworths, Big W, Coles, Target and Event Cinemas.
Greater Springfield’s Mater Private Hospital is an 80-bed, $85 million facility which provides a number of medical and surgical services. The 10,000 square metre hospital features four operating theatres, inpatient wards, a day surgery unit and medical imaging services as well as a combination of inpatient, day and chemotherapy beds supported. As of 2017, the hospital hosted 40 private doctors and 260 total employees. [3]
Mater health services have announced that a new Mater public hospital is under construction as an expansion on the existing private hospital. The new 174 bed public hospital will include an emergency department, intensive care unit, maternity service and additional procedural areas. Completion is expected by 2024 and is a key focus for the Queensland Government. [4]
600,000 square metres of land has been set aside for commercial space, which is called the Parkside business precinct. The precinct already contains a 10-story tower which cost $60 million to build, as well as GE HQ and Polaris Data Centre. [5] The Polaris data centre was built at Springfield, opened in 2009 storing data for a range of companies including Dell, Suncorp and HP. [6] The datacentre cost $220 million to construct and was designed by Strategic Directions. [7]
In 2016, Greater Springfield’s town centre, Orion Springfield Central, was expanded to provide over 165 commercial spaces for commercial businesses. [8] This town centre also features Robelle Domain, a 24-hectare public space featuring boardwalks, sporting areas, playgrounds and water parks. [9] Within Robelle Domain is Orion Lagoon, an inland water park and paddle pool features pools from 0.3m to 1.5m and a range of public amenities. [10]
In 2018, Aveo Springfield opened its first two buildings, providing 86 living spaces for elderly residents. [11] The seniors living community is expected to host more than 2500 living spaces once the development is completed.
Construction on the new $70 million state-of-the-art Brisbane Lions AFL Stadium began in 2021 and is set for completion in September 2022. The stadium, officially named the Brighton Homes Arena, will be the first-ever, purpose built dedicated stadium to a women’s sports team, namely the Brisbane Lions AFLW. [12]
Greater Springfield now hosts 11 different schools, offering both primary and secondary, public and private education. [13] Spring Mountain State School is the most recent addition, and was opened in 2019. [14]
The Springfield Anglican College has a campus on Springfield College Drive, with a second campus (Middle & Senior) on the Springfield–Greenbank Arterial road. In 2008, St. Peters Lutheran College Springfield was opened with the school celebrating its 10 year anniversary with a book launch. [15]
The University of Southern Queensland has a campus in Springfield. Classes began in February 2006. In 2015, a new four-story, 9000 square metre building, known as Building B, was opened at a cost of $45 million. [16] TAFE Queensland South West, previously Bremer Institute of TAFE also has a campus in Springfield.
Springfield Central State High School underwent expansion works in 2019, with the construction of a new $9.89 million Sport and Community Hall as part of the Queensland Government’s $200 million Advancing Queensland Schools Program. [17] The school has announced that a second senior campus is under construction and is due for completion by 2024, and will see the capacity of students double to accommodate the growth. The campus will feature several new 6-story buildings and a performing arts centre. [18]
Springfield is connected to Brisbane CBD by the Centenary Motorway and the Springfield railway line, a branch of the Ipswich railway line that starts at Darra station, and extends to Springfield. [19]
Brisbane is the capital of the state of Queensland and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of over 2.7 million.
The University of Queensland is a public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone universities, an informal designation of the oldest university in each state. UQ is also a founding member of edX, Australia's leading Group of Eight and the international research-intensive Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the coastal city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point and a historical campus in Kelvin Grove. The university offers courses in fields including architecture, engineering, information technology, healthcare, teaching, law, arts and design, science and mathematics.
Ipswich is an urban center within City of Ipswich in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated on the Bremer River, it is approximately 40 km west of the Brisbane central business district. Ipswich is renowned for its architectural, natural and cultural heritage, and the city preserves and operates from many of its historical buildings, with more than 6000 heritage-listed sites and over 500 parks. Ipswich was founded in 1827 as a mining settlement, and soon developed into a major commercial and population centre. The suburb of the same name serves as the city’s central business district. In the 2021 census, the population of the urban area of Ipswich was 115,913 people.
The University of Southern Queensland is a medium-sized, regional university based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, with four university campuses at Toowoomba, Springfield, and Ipswich. It offers courses in law, health, engineering, surveying and built environment, the sciences, business, education, and the arts. It operates three research institutes and nine research centres which focus on a wide range of business, agricultural, scientific, environmental, and technological issues.
Herston is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Herston had a population of 2,311 people.
Robina is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Robina had a population of 25,659 people.
South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. The area covered by South East Queensland varies, depending on the definition of the region, though it tends to include Queensland's three largest cities: the capital city Brisbane; the Gold Coast; and the Sunshine Coast. Its most common use is for political purposes, and covers 35,248 square kilometres (13,609 sq mi) and incorporates 11 local government areas, extending 240 kilometres (150 mi) from Noosa in the north to the Gold Coast and New South Wales border in the south, and 140 kilometres (87 mi) west to Toowoomba. It is the third largest urban area in Australia by population.
Greenslopes is a southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is 6.0 kilometres (3.7 mi) by road south of the Brisbane CBD. In the 2021 census, Greenslopes had a population of 7,941 people.
Forest Lake is an outer south-western suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Forest Lake had a population of 22,676 people.
Springfield is a suburb in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Springfield had a population of 7,322 people.
Wacol is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Wacol had a population of 4,253 people.
Mater Group was formed in 2016 by aligning Mater Health, Mater Education, Mater Research and Mater Foundation under a single, unified banner. Mater provides care for some 500,000 patients each year. Mater was established in 1906 by the Sisters of Mercy. In 2002, Mater became an incorporated body, charged with the responsibility to continue the Mission of the Sisters of Mercy to "offer compassionate service to the sick and needy".
The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia.
Springfield Lakes is a suburb in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the suburbs created within Greater Springfield. In the 2021 census, Springfield Lakes had a population of 17,211 people.
Maha Sinnathamby AM is an Australian businessman and property developer. He is the entrepreneur behind the Greater Springfield Development in Queensland, the largest master-planned community in Australia.
Springfield Central is a suburb in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Springfield Central had a population of 234 people. It is the designated business district of Greater Springfield.
Brookwater Golf and Spa Resort is a 5-star international resort located at Brookwater, a suburb located 30 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD, Queensland, Australia. It is a joint venture between World Group UK and Maxsen Capital Hong Kong. $750 million Brookwater resort project has been billed as the largest single foreign investment developments in Australia’s history. Upon completion it will also be the first fully integrated golf, day spa, retail, leisure, dining and recreation resort in Australia.
Spring Mountain is a developing locality in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Spring Mountain had a population of 6,085 people.
Springfield Central Stadium is an Australian rules football venue located in Springfield, a suburb of Ipswich, approximately 30 km south-west of Brisbane.