CLEVELAND has always been more than just a coastal suburb – it’s a community with a rich past, a vibrant present, and the potential for a bold future.
Yet for years, one of its greatest opportunities – the Cleveland Town Centre Revitalisation Project – has sat idle, gathering dust as priorities shifted and political will waned.
That may finally be about to change.
Redland City Councillor Peter Mitchell has taken decisive action, lodging a formal motion to reignite the long-stalled project, on hold since 2017.
What Cleveland needs now is vision, coordination, and commitment – to finally give this community a strong sense of place and a clear civic heart.
Originally launched in 2016, the revitalisation project aimed to transform Cleveland’s core into a dynamic civic, commercial and residential precinct.
Council engaged the Redland Investment Corporation (RIC) to lead the charge, leveraging Cleveland’s status as a Principal Activity Centre and the potential of underutilised public land.
But momentum faltered when Council instead committed key CBD land to the Chefs Inc. markets in 2017.
Since then, Cleveland has seen a patchwork of progress – upgraded infrastructure, land acquisitions, new medical and aged care facilities – but no unified direction or cohesive plan.
Cr Mitchell’s motion seeks to remove restrictions preventing RIC from initiating new projects beyond Toondah Harbour, Weinam Creek and Capalaba.
If successful, it would clear the way for RIC to resume leadership of Cleveland’s revitalisation – engaging private sector partners to co-design a future worthy of this precinct.
And Cleveland is worth it. This is where heritage meets coastal living.
By day, its boutique retail, harbourside dining and cafe culture deliver a village-style charm that makes it one of the Redlands’ most liveable places.
On weekends, families picnic by the bay, children explore Raby Bay Foreshore, and paddleboarders drift into golden sunsets.
But when the lunchtime diners return to their desks, the CBD slips into slumber.
Cleveland is also a community steeped in history –home to the 1864 Cleveland Point Lighthouse, one of Queensland’s oldest surviving timber lighthouses.
It’s the gateway to North Stradbroke Island, and a critical health hub.
Cleveland has the bones of something greater.
What it’s lacked is a clear, collective vision to bring it all together.
RIC and Council’s executive managers already share joint oversight of the Cleveland Town Centre Revitalisation Project.
But there is a clear recognition that this relationship needs to evolve – strengthening the partnership to work in lockstep, with defined responsibilities and transparent reporting lines.
For too long, RIC has operated with limited scope and direction, while Council’s broader leadership has not clearly empowered the joint effort needed to drive this crucial city-shaping initiative forward.
It’s time to act – with unity, urgency and vision.
Cleveland deserves a future every bit as vibrant as its past.
