Ipswich Deserves Better 

28/11/2025 - Kirsty O'Brien

Last month we looked at how vacant shopfronts blight a city. While parts of the award-winning Nicholas Street Precinct are moving ahead, problems remain in the surrounding area of central Ipswich, in our public transport hub, in our health precinct, and in other main streets of our city.

Empty or boarded-up premises send a clear message of decline: they signal that the city centre isn’t thriving and make the environment feel unattractive and poorly cared for. Research into urban safety shows that neglect invites further neglect. [1]

With fewer “eyes on the street” fewer passers-by, staff, and customers, informal surveillance drops. Areas with low pedestrian presence experience higher rates of unchallenged anti-social behaviour. [2] Neglected shopfronts attract dumping, graffiti, drug dealing, and break-ins because they signal low guardianship and low likelihood of intervention. [3]

This creates a downward spiral: pedestrians feel less safe, foot traffic drops, nearby businesses struggle, and the atmosphere becomes even less welcoming. Ipswich is already experiencing this pattern in parts of our city. But it’s not only empty buildings contributing to the problem. Some Ipswich business operators and property owners are making conditions worse through the way they maintain, or fail to maintain, their street frontages.

What Is Happening Right Now in Central Ipswich

Covered or Boarded Windows on Occupied Shops

Several businesses in Ipswich have blacked-out or fully obscured windows. Heavy reflective or opaque films block visibility and remove any connection with the street. This creates dead, defensive edges that feel unsafe and cut off passive surveillance. Ipswich planning approvals generally require active street frontages, meaning windows should not be permanently obscured. Some current practices appear inconsistent with these intended outcomes.

Uncleaned and Neglected Frontages

Across Ipswich, many commercial operators leave:
• rubbish and bins visible from the street
• weeds and leaf build-up
• peeling signage and dirty surfaces

While the rubbish may sit on private property, it often blows into public spaces and contributes to visible disorder, which shapes how the area is perceived.

Failure to Remove Graffiti and Damage

Tags, spray-painted graffiti and vandalism are sometimes left untouched for long periods. Research consistently shows that visible disorder encourages further disorder. [4]

Where Current Local Laws Are Failing

Ipswich City Council has Local Law No. 8 (Nuisances and Community Health and Safety 2013) and powers under the Local Government Act, but several gaps allow these issues to continue:

1. Enforcement Is Reactive, Not Proactive

Action is typically taken only after complaints, leaving neglected premises in poor condition for long periods.

2. No Clear Standards for Commercial Frontage Maintenance

While laws cover overgrown land and unsightly objects, they do not specify:
• street-front cleanliness
• minimum facade lighting
• expectations for window transparency or activation
• limits on how long a frontage can remain “dead”

Without clear standards, responsible operators are disadvantaged by those who do little or nothing.

3. Long-Term Vacancy Remains Unmanaged

There is no vacancy register, no minimum maintenance requirements, and no escalating action for long-term empty properties. Our architectural heritage is being allowed to decay.

4. Fragmented Responsibility

Vacancy, safety, cleanliness and economic development are interconnected but are not managed as a coordinated system.

5. Volunteers Cannot Carry the Burden

ICP members have held clean-up days to pick up litter and remove graffiti, and other community groups have contributed too. But volunteers cannot be expected to compensate for negligent owners and inadequate enforcement. Relying solely on community instead of paid staff to fix or report these issues is unfair, and unreliable, and fails to protect public assets and public safety.

Ipswich Deserves Better

Businesses and property owners who neglect their frontages contribute to a cycle that harms every local trader, visitor and resident. These daily acts of disregard collectively impact safety, pride and economic performance. This is not an abstract problem.  It is happening in Ipswich, and it is something Ipswich can fix.

Some people assume the State Government can solve these problems through more policing. But policing alone will not bring more people into town. We need to make Ipswich a place where people want to be. Real change happens when local communities, local businesses, and local government work together with clarity, evidence and a plan. In the next article in this series, we’ll explore what other cities are doing to raise standards and drive economic success. We already have the tools under Queensland law to create a cleaner, safer and more vibrant city centre,we need to consider how those tools can be implemented here in Ipswich.

The Blight of Vacancy: Why Empty Buildings Harm Cities

29/10/2025 - Kirsty O'Brien

Vacant buildings are not just an eyesore, they are a sign of systemic failure in how cities sustain their social and economic life. This is the first in a series examining the urban “blight of vacancy,” exploring how empty shops and buildings are having a detrimental effect on central Ipswich and what can be done to reverse this decline.

Urban vacancy is not unique to Ipswich. It reflects global shifts in the economy, suburban expansion, and the collapse of traditional retail models.¹ Studies show that without proactive local interventions, this pattern of decline becomes self-perpetuating: once a street loses its active frontage, it quickly loses pedestrian traffic, investor confidence, and community pride.² The result is a feedback loop of economic stagnation and social withdrawal.

The costs of vacancy can be measured in a few different ways. Economically, millions of dollars are lost annually through uncollected rents and rates, reduced property values, lost trade, and the absence of employment and reinvestment that thriving main streets generate.³ Vacant commercial buildings are also a fiscal burden for councils, which must maintain surrounding infrastructure while revenue declines.⁴

Socially, the impacts are profound. Environmental psychologists and criminologists have long demonstrated that neglected environments correlate with higher rates of vandalism, fear, and antisocial behaviour.⁵ The “broken windows theory” argues that visible disorder such as boarded-up shops, graffiti, or broken glass sends out signals that no one cares, inviting further neglect and crime.⁶ While a well-maintained environment communicates social cohesion and informal surveillance, deterring undesirable behaviour. A vacant or derelict street tells the opposite story: that the community is absent.

The physical and psychological effects of blight extend even further. Research by the University of Pennsylvania found that greening or redeveloping vacant properties reduces incidents of violence and improves residents’ mental health.⁷ Property values in revitalised areas often rise by 10–30%, and local perceptions of safety improve dramatically.⁸ Shady green streets that are vibrant with people encourage pedestrian activity, which enhances fitness. Urban vitality is not a cosmetic issue, it is a matter of public health and collective well-being.

Vacancy also distorts how people experience space. Large surface carparks on the edge of Ipswich’s centre provide ample parking, yet people perceive the city as “far away” when the route between the car and the destination is lined with neglected buildings. The urban void magnifies psychological distance.⁹

Returning vacant properties to productive use is not optional but essential. It can be done with the right sort of effort. Adaptive reuse, creative activation, and temporary uses can restore life to dormant spaces in Ipswich, generating economic activity, confidence and pride. A vibrant, maintained city centre signals to residents and investors alike that the community values itself, and that it is, quite literally, open for business.¹⁰

References

¹ Birch, E. L., & Wachter, S. M. (2008). Global Urbanization. University of Pennsylvania Press.
² Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House.
³ Mallach, A. (2018). The Empty House Next Door: Understanding and Reducing Vacancy and Hypervacancy in the United States. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
⁴ Pagano, M., & Bowman, A. (2000). Vacant Land in Cities: An Urban Resource. Brookings Institution.
⁵ Kelling, G., & Wilson, J. Q. (1982). “Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety.” The Atlantic Monthly.
⁶ Skogan, W. (1990). Disorder and Decline: Crime and the Spiral of Decay in American Neighborhoods. University of California Press.
⁷ Branas, C. C., et al. (2018). “Citywide Cluster Randomized Trial to Restore Vacant Lots and Its Impact on Violence and Fear.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
⁸ Accordino, J., & Johnson, G. T. (2000). “Addressing the Vacant and Abandoned Property Problem.” Journal of Urban Affairs.
⁹ Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. MIT Press.
¹⁰ Bullen, P. A., & Love, P. E. D. (2011). “Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings.” Structural Survey.

Community Art Gallery - at Booval Fair

26/09/2025 - Kirsty O'Brien

Although this blog usually talks about central Ipswich, today we look at what is happening in Booval, just a few kilometres out from central Ipswich.

The retail landscape has shifted dramatically in the last decade as more people shop online. Ipswich is no exception, yet many still value the experience of shopping locally. Centres like Booval Fair have responded by becoming more than just retail hubs. They now function like modern village squares, places where people connect, shop for daily needs, and enjoy the rhythm of community life. An important part of this vision is the Booval Fair Community Art Gallery. Managed by Artsconnect Ipswich, the gallery offers shoppers a chance to pause, reflect, and enjoy original artworks created by local artists. These works celebrate Ipswich’s buildings, natural environment, and community spirit. More than decoration, the gallery has become a source of inspiration, encouraging Booval locals to explore their own creativity and discover the wellbeing benefits of making art.

Artsconnect Ipswich fosters an inclusive creative community, and the Booval Art Gallery have been able to connect people of all ages and abilities with creative groups in Ipswich. Visitors have been put in contact with organisations providing the opportunity to paint and draw socially.  Ipswich Art Society, and the men’s and women’s art groups at Leichhardt-One Mile Community Centre are two places where people can join in creating visual art . These social, welcoming spaces provide opportunities for learning, self-expression, and confidence-building. You can contact Ipswich Art Society at info@ipswichartsociety, a group that meets in the Old Courthouse in Ipswich, and facilitates a studio for different styles of painting and drawing. Find out more about participating in the free community art groups at Leichhardt, where all art materials are provided, at admin@bgacorp.com.au 

The Booval Fair Gallery is open daily Monday to Saturday from 9:30am to 2pm and is staffed entirely by volunteers. Take a moment to visit—you may leave feeling inspired.

The Olden Days

31/8/2025 - Veronica Belcher

Walking through the Top of Town last week I was intrigued by the buildings that had the same name on them FW Johnson and Sons. It got me interested to find out who they were and what they did and why they had so many buildings.

Frederick William Johnson started his coachbuilding business in Ipswich in 1884. Six months later he partnered with JJ Broughton and they built coaches until 1897 when the partnership was dissolved. Broughton continued his own coachbuilding in premises on the corner of Limestone and Nicholas Streets. Johnson set up his own business City Coach Works which was located in Brisbane Street. A new building was built to house the coach works as well as the undertaking business run by Frederick’s brother AE Johnson in adjoining premises.  

These early years saw Johnson win medals for wheelwrighting at shows like Ipswich and Rosewood. Due to the success of the business, land was purchased on the opposite side of Brisbane Street to extend operations to include a showroom. By 1901 the annual coach output of City Coach Works was 75. Frederick was elected as an Alderman in the council from 1907 to 1912. He was a World War 1 veteran and passed away in 1919.

Sons, Ernest, William and Arthur all entered the family business however Arthur left to run a confectionary business in Bell Street. When Frederick passed away, Ernest and William took over the business in 1920 naming it FW Johnson & Sons, Coachbuilders and Undertakers. The Old Flour Mill building, previously owned by Cribb and Foote stove department, was bought in 1926 by the Johnson family with the ground floor being used as a car showroom as they started the car dealing business and showroom.

Selling Chevrolet and Buick cars, they were the ultimate in luxury at that time. Not only these American models, they were also suppliers of Vulcan lorries, a British product which was priced comparably with the American models. They also stocked a large range of tyres, oil, grease and other motor accessories. They also did motor repair work and repainting. They were also an agency for Harley Davidson and Douglas motor cycles and eventually Morris and Vauxhall dealers. They became agents for Westinghouse fridges in 1934 and later moved in radio and appliance sales.

William J Johnson established Radio 4IP in the Old Flour Mill in 1936 in premises which adjoined Johnson’s buildings. These businesses were located together for the next 28 years. The radio transmitter was eventually located in Briggs Road in Ipswich. Eventually the radio station moved to the corner of Limestone and East Street then to Brisbane in the early 1970’s then in 1982 changed hands and became Radio 10.

Our early history is so interesting and its important acknowledging our history ensuring we keep this knowledge so future generations value it as well.

Clean-Up Day

28/7/2025 - Kirsty O'Brien

Research shows that solutions for littering are most effective when targeted at the source, before items are sold and consumed. Retail businesses selling food can incentivise customers to bring their own coffee cups or supply takeaway packaging only when requested. All businesses selling packaged goods could provide bins at the point of sale, taking responsibility for their emptying and ensuring waste is securely kept for disposal, preventing it from being blown away.

Not all solutions can be enacted locally. We need our state government to incentivise waste collection and recycling schemes, like the drink container recycling program, and to ensure companies pay the hidden costs of selling in single-use packaging. At the federal level, our government must take product stewardship seriously, including banning materials most likely to become litter or dumped domestic waste.

Community action also plays a crucial role. We can keep our city areas clean and cared for so littering isn’t seen as normal or acceptable. Groups like Clean Up Australia partner with local communities to maintain problem areas and show that people care for our urban environment. A clean environment discourages littering, as people are less likely to litter where it’s clear others care. For example, Brighter Brassall has seen improvements and reduced vandalism at Battye Park through monthly clean-ups.

We invite the Ipswich community to join Ipswich Central Partnership this Saturday for a litter pick-up and graffiti removal. When people see others caring for the area, they feel it’s worth visiting and living here. Ipswich is growing rapidly as a great place to raise a family, and your participation demonstrates city pride and love for our place. We hope to see many of you there, helping keep Ipswich clean and cared-for.

The First Placemakers

22/6/2025 - Kirsty O'Brien

Placemaking is the layering of meaning onto the landscape, this meaning is shaped by memory, story, and lived experience.  In Ipswich, that meaning runs deep. Every life lived here has contributed to a shared culture, with rivers of subculture flowing like tributaries into a greater stream that stretches behind us and flows on ahead, long after we are gone.

The first lives here began more than sixty thousand years ago. Despite the violence and upheaval of colonisation, the original culture endured and was passed down in stories, songlines, and the lived knowledge of today’s custodians, the descendants of those ancient families.

This is Ugarapul and Yuggera country. The place we now call Ipswich was once known as Coodjrer, and the Bremer River as Urara. These names speak of a different understanding where land is not owned but embracing and sustaining, not taken but cared for. The people were of the land. From the Brisbane basin to the Scenic Rim and the foothills of Toowoomba, people moved through Country, welcomed others, harvested seasonally, and tended the landscape with respect.

Placemaking was part of life. Sacred places held in legend, and practical places of sustenance. Meaning came through intimate connection to the land, its contours, and the plants and animals that existed alongside its people. This was a culture in balance.

Then came colonial occupation, bringing new meanings, Cartesian ideas of mapping, measuring, and imposition. Land became property, Country became resource, and culture collided into conflict. But meaning is not fixed. And over time, our perspectives shift.

Today, in a society shaped by many voices, we have the opportunity to listen again to the first ones and to amplify the stories that were once silenced. Through placemaking, we can honour the custodians of this land, support reconciliation, and be proud to reconnect with the fantastic, unique stories of this place. The place we call home.