Site redevelopment update - April 2022

Key developments

· Our Development Application was granted by the Brisbane City Council in late December 2021, with a number of conditions, mostly of a technical nature, but also including a requirement to provide a certain proportion of planting.

· The parish redevelopment subcommittees have been meeting to provide input to the architects as the final designs are produced. In particular the design of the Memorial Garden has receive much attention. The layout of the upper hall kitchen and storage areas have also been well considered.

· Discussions have continued with the Anglican Schools Commission, who will operate the Early Learning Centre, to explore how the parish and the Early Learning Centre will be as integrated as possible; for instance the parish will be able to use inside and outside areas of the ELC at weekends for Children’s Ministry and have access to their kitchen and coffee shop area; parishioners will be invited to interact with the ELC during the week; and parish spaces will be available for use by allied health professionals.

· The St Luke’s Theatre Society have given much useful input to the hall design, as they are fully committed to returning to our new hall, when it is completed, for their performances.

Design Highlights

· The ‘heart’ of the campus will be the entrance boulevard, with the Memorial Garden prominent.

· There will be a shared entrance lobby to the ELC and the church hall and deck areas. This will incorporate a coffee shop, which will provide opportunities for interaction with ELC families and for church events.

· Flexible indoor and out-of-doors child-safe play areas in the ELC will be available for parish use outside ELC operational hours.

· The original portion of the existing hall will be repositioned to the rear of the site over the new carpark and repurposed to include offices, meeting spaces, storage and multi-purpose rooms that could be used as dressing rooms for theatre use or for use by allied heath professionals.

· The new covered deck on the north side of the church will provide a flexible space for refreshments after services, over-flow from the church for large services, small group meetings or breakout space for hall functions. To support this, the existing flower room will have a hatch opening to the deck to serve tea/coffee etc. Consideration is also being given to replacing one or more of the windows on the north side of the church with doors to unite the church and deck spaces.

What next?

· It is expected that the detailed designs required to lodge a building application and to seek tenders will be complete by early June, at which point an updated cost estimate will be prepared.

· Final approval to commence the project will be obtained from the diocesan Financial and Diocesan Services Commission once tenders are received, probably in late July. Once approval is given, the existing Memorial Garden will be officially closed.

· Once a contract is awarded, there will be a four week period to enable the parish to clear out the halls and parish centre, and for personnel from the Mount Gravatt Cemetery to assist in the removal of the ashes from the Memorial Garden for storage, following the protocol approved by the Archbishop.

· Building work will then commence, perhaps in October, and is expected to take 12 months. Worship will continue in the church building throughout, but there may be a little disruption occasionally.