Greater Brisbane Greyhound Centre at Purga in planning stages
The Greater Brisbane Greyhound Centre has reached an important milestone in its development with several key consultants appointed to the project.
Queensland Racing Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the appointments followed the 2019 announcement that the $39 million state-of-the-art facility would be built at Purga, west of Brisbane, as the new home of greyhound racing in the Sunshine State.
“With animal welfare at the core of design and construction, the world-class venue will feature three tracks – a straight track, a two-turn track and a much-needed one-turn track – that will improve amenities and demonstrate the vibrancy of the greyhound code,” he said.
“Racing Queensland (RQ) has appointed two of the world's authoritative voices for identifying optimal greyhound track design for safety and welfare – David Allan and Professor David Eager (University of Technology, Sydney) – to help with the project.
“Tract Consultants and Cox Architecture have also been appointed as project consultants, with the urban design professionals to assist RQ with its stakeholder and community engagement activities.”
The Racing Infrastructure Fund is financed from the exclusive wagering license fee paid to the State and allocated by the Government to approved projects.
RQ Chairman Steve Wilson AM said Cox, in particular, had established itself as leaders in sport and stadia architecture, delivering major projects across the Australia and in Asia, with notable venues like Adelaide Oval, AAMI Park, and the Moonee Valley Racing Club.
“The appointment of our key consultants is an important step in the lifecycle of the Greater Brisbane Greyhound Centre,” Mr Wilson said.
“As we commence design, it's essential that we engage with our industry participants and stakeholders.
“During this time, we are seeking their feedback on all aspects of the facility including racing infrastructure, kennel design, the viewing amenities and how we can ensure that GBGC is a state-of-the-art venue for participants and punters alike.”
The amenities to be established at the Greater Brisbane Greyhound Centre include:
- Construction of a large one-turn track, two-turn track and straight track;
- Track safety benefits including radius and surface banking to be designed in a way to reduce excessive limb forces acting on greyhounds while racing;
- World-class racing surfaces;
- Starting box positioning – including roll on boxes were best suited – which reduces racing interference and supports race safety;
- Starting box design incorporating optimum spacing between contestants and grille heights;
- Grandstand and customer facilities ensuring gold standard customer experience and viewing of all three tracks;
- Air-conditioned, sound-attenuated kennels with best practice pre and post racing support services.
Having commenced industry engagement last week, RQ and the GBGC technical consultants will continue to stage stakeholder sessions throughout September, allowing industry participants to contribute further to the design process.
An industry stakeholder meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, 26 September 2020 at the Ipswich Greyhound Racing Club's function centre at the Ipswich Showgrounds. All greyhound racing participants are welcome to attend.
Saturday's forum will feature speakers from Racing Queensland and the project consultancy team. According to RQ, “participants attending the forum will be provided with an up-date on the progress of the project” and “the opportunity to contribute to discussions around racing infrastructure and facilities at the venue”.
This abusive industry need to be shut down. The horrible lives these poor hounds suffer is disgusting.
Jill you’re a dipshit
If this track goes ahead,against the wishes of the community , it will just go to show that the gambling dollar is more important to our government than what is important to the people who it is supposedly here to represent . Greyhound racing is an outdated pass time that exploits gentle greyhounds . The so called “sport ” is rife with animal cruelty , corruption , overbreeding and wastage of dogs who are exposed to huge risks each time they step out onto a track or if they’re not fast enough to win . The majority are born only… Read more »
I have so much dirt on this godawful industry and it will be plastered all around the Ipswich area and with articles in newspapers showing how grubby this sport and it’s participants are. Oh boy, this is going to be fun.
Disgusting abuse of dogs
Many years ago I saw a group of ” animal lovers” in action in England – what appeared to be a group of seemingly respectable .. well.. middle aged housewives.. claiming they were concerned about cattle- they demonstrated their “love and concern” for animals by throwing a brick through the windscreen of a truck and then proceeded to drag a truck driver out- whose ” crime” was driving a cattle truck presumably to feed himself and his family and started attacking him.He was seriously injured before the Police arrived. I couldn’t see much love for anything on their faces just… Read more »
For those that are against this project. Its clear you have no idea about the industry. If you would stop shouting and did care about animal welfare, you would be invited to be involved, but you just cant act like reasonable people so … Bad luck, its not up to you. Its not tax payers money, and if you have “so much dirt” you are breaking the law by not reporting it, so that “dirt” obviously does not exist, or, its an “I heard from someone who said another person saw that maybe it might have happened”. Oh and BTW… Read more »
So disappointing that councils and governments continue to support this abhorent, cruel, disposable (of these beautiful hounds) industry.
Governments and councils should be discouraging cruelty to animals as well as addressing the gambling problem in this town, state and country.
It is so clear it is all about the MONEY unfortunately ! 😡
So proud of Queensland’s choice to build this epic greyhound facility of excellence, greyhound racing is resurgent and improving in all facets of welfare and honesty and is by far the most appealing to the young of all three racing codes , as for the doomsayers don’t go out of your way to hurt innocent people in mass karma will chew you up , you know fuck all about the industry your wasting your evil energy concentrate on your own life !!