Master Plan Process

Master Plan Process

Given the nature of the Master Plan, we have determined that a Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) process would be the most appropriate approval pathway to meet our long-term needs.

The proposed MID will apply to the St Laurence’s College campus, which fronts Stephens Road and Clarence Street. The aerial photograph below outlines the area of the school where this MID will apply.

This year we will lodge a request that the Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning designate our premises for the development of infrastructure for educational facilities.

This request will be in accordance with Chapter 2, Part 5 of the Planning Act 2016.

 
View Brochure here

Preparing a draft Environmental Assessment Report

The requirements for requesting a MID are set in the Planning Act 2016 and the Minister’s Rules and Guidelines v1.1 (which falls under the Planning Act). All the documents supporting a request for a MID are included in a single ‘Environmental Assessment Report’, which refers to both the built and natural environment of the area.

This will include:

  • a response to the criteria for requesting a MID, outlined under the Act
  • an explanation of the proposed development
  • architect’s plans and renders
  • possible impacts from the development and how they would be addressed (e.g. light spill, traffic, mature trees)
  • possible impacts on state interests or holdings (e.g. the railway, the Queensland Children's Hospital or any state-controlled roads)
  • matters raised by Brisbane City Council
  • documents to be distributed during the formal consultation period and any consultation activities which may be held.

We are currently drafting out Environmental Assessment Report, so we are still collecting technical information. This will be available online when we lodge our request for a MID with the Minister.

Our Proposed Master Plan

Our Master Plan has been developed in accordance with Brisbane City Council’s neighbourhood plan for this area, with Stage 1 and 3 at five to six storeys and Stage 5 at five storeys.

The Master Plan tackles the constraints of our site and outlines proposed improvements to our existing facilities. These improvements include a state-of-the-art auditorium and learning centre, refurbishments to our 1960s-70s era buildings and a new aquatic centre.

Here's What the MID Process Involve

The Proposed Master Plan Includes Six Stages

Stage 1 includes a new five to six storey learning centre, which will house a library, home base for seniors, centre of excellence, musical rehearsal space and a replacement two level basement carpark. This centre will be the new ‘welcome point’ for parents and students. 

Stage 2 will refurbish the Br Campbell and Br Grundy buildings with a new campus stair, new café and staff area, removal of a demountable building and other internal works.

Stage 3 will expand on Stage 1 by expanding the footprint of the new five to six storey learning centre to include a new uniform shop, auditorium, drama practice rooms and flexible learning rooms.

Stage 4 relates to the area of the demolished Brady building and includes the construction of a 50-metre swimming pool and wellbeing centre, kiosk, spectator seating and associated facilities.

Stage 5 includes a new playing court adjoining the swimming pool, to the west. This stage will also prepare the area for a future five storey building to be built above. 

Stage 6 will provide an additional playing court near the southern boundary of the campus.

Click on image to expand photo.

Stephens Road frontage

We are committed to providing an attractive street frontage. As part of this, we are planning to retain all the mature jacaranda trees on Stephens Road.

During past construction on our site, we lost easy recognition of the College’s front entrance. A key factor in our design process was to reinstate a ‘front gate’ and provide a new welcome point for parents and students.

The new learning centre on Stephens Road will also house our administration functions. Currently, the administration is in the middle of campus in the old monastery building. This change will mean that administration is much easier for parents to access. 

Traffic

While our improvements include new carparking facilities, we do not anticipate any additional traffic impacts. We are not increasing student capacity as part of the Master Plan, and we will continue to actively encourage students to travel to school on public transport.

We are proud of our ‘transport buddies’ program which encourages students to travel safely to and from campus by public transport. This program pairs new younger students with a senior student for the first few weeks of their public transport commute to school. We have found that this system of providing ‘transport buddies’ builds student and parent confidence. 

Noise Impacts

St Laurence’s College has been part of the South Brisbane community for 107 years. The area has changed a lot in that time.

We appreciate that some of our neighbours are concerned about noise, so we have designed the Master Plan to minimise noise travelling from the campus to neighbours. As part of this, we have placed the aquatic centre toward the middle of the campus, with the new learning centre and the visual and performing arts centre providing a buffer.

To find out more about our Master Plan and the MID

If you have any questions about our Master Plan, or any comments, you can contact the College at masterplan@slc.qld.edu.au.

Please note that we would like to receive any feedback before Tuesday 1 February 2022.