State sells school site to council

THE former Bremer State High School site has been formally purchased from the State Government by Ipswich City Council.

The site is surplus to state requirements, with the new Bremer High having opened next door to UQ Ipswich last year.

The former school is on the corner of Blackstone and Grange Rds at Eastern Heights.

The council proposes to redevelop the front end of the site currently occupied by school buildings and utilise the back end of the school for future local sports fields.

The school buildings will now be demolished by contractors engaged by the State Government as part of the contract's terms.

Abandoned at the end of the 2010 school year, the Eastern Heights campus has been a regular focus of police attention because of repeated intruder alarms and vandalism.

It also has been used as a training venue by specialist police teams.

Member for Ipswich Rachel Nolan described the sale as a good community outcome which she expected would be welcomed in the local area.

"When we announced the new Bremer, we always said the state would sell the site and put the money back into the education budget," Ms Nolan said.

"Selling to council means that the sports fields can be kept, which is great in terms of green space and sporting infrastructure.

"Over the past year the state has put in place a number of measures to minimise vandalism, including having police train on site and opening the hall to the PCYC trampolining club, but it's good to have a clear direction forward."

Ipswich councillor Andrew Antoniolli, whose division covers the old school site, said it was great to have secured much-need sporting fields.

"This purchase will preserve an important green sporting corridor from Brothers' sporting fields through to Grange Road, and provide another facility for Ipswich's many sporting clubs," Cr Antoniolli said.

"I'm looking forward to working with Ipswich City Developments and council to make sure the site is in the best interests of the future growth of the city."