Region no more - soon we will live in Moreton Bay City

Moreton Bay Region looks likely to be replaced by Moreton Bay City.

In today's council meeting, a resolution was passed to commence the process to change the name - likely to happen in 2022. Here's details on the process

Mayor Peter Flannery said today’s resolution would remove the connotation of remoteness that comes with the word ‘region’, as we seek to put Moreton Bay City on the national and international map ahead of the Olympics.

“This isn’t about semantics so much as it’s about facts - we are already bigger than Ipswich City, and Logan City, and Redland City,” he said.

“We are the third largest local government in Australia, we have one of the fastest growth rates in the country and within two short decades our population will exceed 700,000 to be bigger than the entire state of Tasmania.

“Yet most politicians in Canberra seem to think we’re somewhere in regional Queensland, they have no idea that we’re within 30 minutes of Brisbane CBD, Brisbane International Airport and the Port of Brisbane.

No gimmick

The Mayor said this was "not a gimmick".

"This is an opportunity for Moreton Bay City to identify where other regions in Australia have gone wrong in their planning so that we can redefine what it means to be a modern city,"he said.

“Specifically this will involve two things: Greening our region and rethinking planning in response to COVID-19.

“So we will enforce stronger environmental protection within all our planning frameworks to obligate developers to make Moreton Bay City get greener as we grow and integrate nature within our communities.

“Our new Regional Environment and Sustainability Strategy is already in development and will be going out for community consultation mid-way through next year.

“It also means moving away from the traditional CBD concept, because the coronavirus experience has proven it’s entirely possible to rethink the way we work, commute and enhance our lifestyle."

Satellite CBDs

Moreton Bay City will not have a single business district, rather satellite CBDs centred around precincts of expertise - to harness and amplify the unique characteristics of our existing communities.

“The blueprint for this plan is already outlined in our Regional Economic Development Strategy 2020-41 which articulates growth strategies for our key priority industries: food and agribusiness, knowledge and innovation, advanced manufacturing, and tourism," the Mayor said.

“That means focussed agricultural investment in the north, new initiatives to drive innovation and technology uptake at the Petrie Mill site, supporting advanced manufacturing investment in our Brendale industrial precinct, retail opportunities around North Lakes, and developing the eco-tourism potential of our spectacular hinterland.

“We’ve already got the ball rolling on this with the launch of our international ‘Invest Moreton’ campaign in November, targeting investors in key priority industries who want a first-mover advantage in harnessing the power of unrivalled growth and unlimited potential here in Moreton Bay.

“Moreton Bay City will be committed to more innovation, more space and more collaboration to help businesses think bigger, be bolder and build brighter.

“There will be naysayers, but it’s critically important that our city has a defined brand and identity with new tourism offerings ahead of the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.

“We simply cannot allow tourism dollars to go driving past our spectacular hinterland or beachside destinations in favour of other coasts, so I see this as a coming of age moment for a region that deserves to be so much more than to be the bit in between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.”