A New Public Space – A Unique Precinct

The new Brisbane Supreme and District Courts Complex will create a unique legal precinct; linking the new building with a major public square and the existing Brisbane Magistrates Court. The precinct will occupy an entire city block bounded by George, Roma and Turbot streets.

The square will also provide the link between the new Tank Street pedestrian crossing over the Brisbane River and the proposed Roma Street pedestrian bridge to Roma Street Parklands. Public access to the precinct will be exceptional, with the Roma Street Station and King George Square bus station situated within 100 metres.

In day-to-day use, the public waiting areas outside the court, crucial to the successful operation of the courts, will provide those attending the court a feeling of light and openness.

A key undertaking of the design was to establish highly legible and usable circulation patterns and access ways through and around the civic square and court precinct for pedestrians and cyclists, whilst maximizing safety and convenience and minimizing potential conflicts.

The public square will also connect to, and form a focal point for, the Roma Street Precinct Redevelopment. When completed, this whole precinct will come alive with people shopping, working, commuting and relaxing in the public spaces created. It will be well connected to the CBD and surrounding attractions while also becoming a distinct subtropical and sustainable place in its own right.

The redevelopment therefore offers the opportunity to transform this part of the city by stitching together the major public facilities and providing a gateway to the CBD, and Brisbane’s north-west and south-west areas. In particular, the precinct will provide the central heart linking Kelvin Grove Urban Village and Victoria Park in the north; Suncorp Stadium and the City West in the west; the cultural precinct and South Bank via the Tank Street Bridge in the south; and the commercial business centre in the east. 

The design of the public square and the Supreme and District Courts Complex acknowledges this vision and provides a continuation of the Roma Street boulevarde in support of this core redevelopment to enhance connectivity of key pedestrian movement plazas.