Redland City Council in Queensland is transforming underutilised Council-owned land into a multi-million dollar community and disability services centre.
Construction work recently begun on the facility, located on a four-hectare site in Runnymede, which had remained unoccupied for almost 10 years.
The $3.27 million Community and Education Centre will be operated by Horizon Foundation – a respected disability service provider that currently employs 200 staff at its Capalaba office.
It is expected 20 new full time equivalent jobs will be created at the new centre, plus hundreds of jobs during construction.
Mayor Karen Williams turned the first sod on the project in late March, alongside Councillor Murray Elliott, Horizon Foundation Vice President Dr Wayne Clarke and Chief Executive Officer Joe Gamblin.
Mayor Williams said, “This project will inject an estimated $8 million into the local economy through construction investment and new jobs and it will provide Horizon Foundation with a platform from which to add more services when the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) rolls out in coming years.
“Our community will gain new job opportunities and life-changing services through the new centre once it is operational and through the NDIS service streams.
“One program which will really make a difference to Redlands families is the Baby Bridges program. It’s an early intervention service for parents of children with a disability up to the age of five and it is set to start when the new building opens around November this year.”
Horizon CEO Joe Gamblin said the Runnymede Community and Education Centre would be the largest community services infrastructure project in the Redlands.
“We are proud to have the support of Council to make this exciting initiative possible and to be building what is probably the biggest community services infrastructure project in the region.
“The new Early Intervention Centre has been purpose-designed. Thanks to the generous support of the Ian McDougall Trust we will be able to reach more parents of children with a disability in Redland City and enhance their experience by providing them with access to facilities that are specifically tailored to meet their needs.”
Redland City Council has given Horizon Foundation a 50-year lease of the footprint of its new building.
Councillor Murray Elliott said each year over 1700 people with a disability receive vital services from Horizon Foundation and the new centre would ensure residents in his region are well supported into the future.
“I’m pleased to have played a role in facilitating this new centre which will meet the needs of my community moving forward.
“Research has indicated demand for disability services will increase by 12 percent in the Redlands by 2021, so this new facility will go a long way toward providing these much needed services for our community.”
Council is continuing to work on a concept plan for potential uses for the remainder of the site in conjunction with community groups, Horizon Foundation and Council’s own IndigiScapes Centre.
