Master Plan moves forward 

The south-east corner of Queensland has seen a population boom in the past 10 years, which has helped to push throughput values at the Brisbane Markets to record levels.

While this is one of the benefits for the fresh produce industry, congestion on our roads has created many problems for city planners struggling to keep up with the necessary infrastructure to cope with the ever-increasing traffic.

We have not been immune from traffic problems at the Brisbane Markets. With only one main entry point off Sherwood Road, the congestion caused by heavy vehicles delivering produce and vehicle traffic due to the thousands of people who work at or use the Markets each day, was recognised as a priority issue that needed to be addressed.

As part of the Master Plan for the Brisbane Markets, a further access point at the western side of the site was planned, along with additional car parking areas and the establishment of a new building platform in the north west corner of the site.

The new road will provide another major access road into the Markets and will take the pressure off the existing main gate. It will assist in removing congestion on Sherwood Road and provide for better access in and out of the site for heavy vehicles and the additional car parks will remove some of the congestion inside the Markets caused by vehicles in and around the warehouse areas.

With the necessary approvals now in place, BML is set to begin the civil works associated with the construction of this access road, car parks and the further building platform, which will be located to the west of the existing IGA Distribution Facility.

The project will cost approximately $6.7 million and will continue BML’s planned growth of the Brisbane Markets’ site. The building platform will accommodate a significant new warehouse of approximately 4,000 square metres and it is anticipated that this next stage, being construction of this building, will begin in the first half of 2010.

This project lays the foundations for a range of other initiatives contemplated under the Brisbane Markets Master Plan for the site. It also brings to fruition what was a lengthy exercise in gaining Brisbane City Council approval for the project, and will work to maximise the usable area of the site.