Telephone +61 7 3844 1362
studio@shanethompson.com.au
47 Wahcumba St, Dutton Park
PO Box 1170 Fortitude Valley
Queensland 4006 Australia
As with most small cities and towns the importance of the Ballina CBD has been eroded by the establishment of satellite shopping centres, which take people away from the traditional shopping area, High Street. Many of the professionals working in Lismore commute there daily from Ballina. The Council sees this redevelopment as an opportunity to lure them back to Ballina by providing a new office and commercial precinct of a very high standard, in parallel with a new car park.
Ballina has also recently been designated as a Regional Development Centre by the State Government which will see an increase in the number of government services being based there. The lack of car parking in Ballina is a further disincentive for the community to visit town.
The team in Brisbane are working with local Ballina consultants and the Council on the redevelopment. The first stage of the project involves the Wigmore Car Park as part of the landmark development that will provide a catalyst for the regeneration of the CBD to establish its position as the business centre of the region. The second stage involves the redevelopment of the arcade behind. The present commission covers the first stage only; however, we are hoping Council will see the benefits in pursuing both projects concurrently.
The team’s aim was to provide a building that would set the standard for design for the future development of the Ballina CBD. This project will also act as a test case for the new Development Control Plan for the Ballina CBD, which is under development and forms part of the competition brief.