Casino developers vow to preserve heritage – Brisbane Times

Posted on by Listify Me

‘; var fr = document.getElementById(adID); setHash(fr, hash); fr.body = body; var doc = getFrameDocument(fr); doc.open(); doc.write(body); setTimeout(function() {closeDoc(getFrameDocument(document.getElementById(adID)))}, 2000); } function renderJIFAdWithInterim(holderID, adID, srcUrl, width, height, hash, bodyAttributes) { setHash(document.getElementById(holderID), hash); document.dcdAdsR.push(adID); document.write(”); } function renderIJAd(holderID, adID, srcUrl, hash) { document.dcdAdsAA.push(holderID); setHash(document.getElementById(holderID), hash); document.write(” + ‘ript’); } function renderJAd(holderID, adID, srcUrl, hash) { document.dcdAdsAA.push(holderID); setHash(document.getElementById(holderID), hash); document.dcdAdsH.push(holderID); document.dcdAdsI.push(adID); document.dcdAdsU.push(srcUrl); } function er_showAd() { var regex = new RegExp(“externalReferrer=(.*?)(; |$)”, “gi”); var value = regex.exec(document.cookie); if (value value.length == 3) { var externalReferrer = value[1]; return (!FD.isInternalReferrer() || ((externalReferrer) (externalReferrer 0))); } return false; } function isHome() { var loc = “” + window.location; loc = loc.replace(“//”, “”); var tokens = loc.split(“/”); if (tokens.length == 1) { return true; } else if (tokens.length == 2) { if (tokens[1].trim().length == 0) { return true; } } return false; } function checkAds(checkStrings) { var cs = checkStrings.split(“,”); for (var i=0;i 0 cAd.innerHTML.indexOf(c)0) { document.dcdAdsAI.push(cAd.hash); cAd.style.display =’none’; } } } if (!ie) { for (var i=0;i 0 doc.body.innerHTML.indexOf(c)0) { document.dcdAdsAI.push(fr.hash); fr.style.display =’none’; } } } } } if (document.dcdAdsAI.length 0 || document.dcdAdsAG.length 0) { var pingServerParams = “i=”; var sep = “”; for (var i=0;i 0) { var pingServerUrl = “/action/pingServerAction?” + document.pingServerAdParams; var xmlHttp = null; try { xmlHttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); } catch(e) { try { xmlHttp = new ActiveXObject(“Microsoft.XMLHttp”); } catch(e) { xmlHttp = null; } } if (xmlHttp != null) { xmlHttp.open( “GET”, pingServerUrl, true); xmlHttp.send( null ); } } } function initAds(log) { for (var i=0;i 0) { doc.removeChild(doc.childNodes[0]); } doc.open(); var newBody = fr.body; if (getCurrentOrd(newBody) != “” ) { newBody = newBody.replace(“;ord=”+getCurrentOrd(newBody), “;ord=” + Math.floor(100000000*Math.random())); } else { newBody = newBody.replace(“;ord=”, “;ord=” + Math.floor(100000000*Math.random())); } doc.write(newBody); document.dcdsAdsToClose.push(fr.id); } } else { var newSrc = fr.src; if (getCurrentOrd(newSrc) != “” ) { newSrc = newSrc.replace(“;ord=”+getCurrentOrd(newSrc), “;ord=” + Math.floor(100000000*Math.random())); } else { newSrc = newSrc.replace(“;ord=”, “;ord=” + Math.floor(100000000*Math.random())); } fr.src = newSrc; } } } if (document.dcdsAdsToClose.length 0) { setTimeout(function() {closeOpenDocuments(document.dcdsAdsToClose)}, 500); } } }; var ie = isIE(); if(ie typeof String.prototype.trim !== ‘function’) { String.prototype.trim = function() { return this.replace(/^s+|s+$/g, ”); }; } document.dcdAdsH = new Array(); document.dcdAdsI = new Array(); document.dcdAdsU = new Array(); document.dcdAdsR = new Array(); document.dcdAdsEH = new Array(); document.dcdAdsE = new Array(); document.dcdAdsEC = new Array(); document.dcdAdsAA = new Array(); document.dcdAdsAI = new Array(); document.dcdAdsAG = new Array(); document.dcdAdsToClose = new Array(); document.igCount = 0; document.tCount = 0; var dcOrd = Math.floor(100000000*Math.random()); document.dcAdsCParams = “”; var savValue = getAdCookie(“sav”); if (savValue != null savValue.length 2) { document.dcAdsCParams = savValue + “;”; }

Queensland

You are here:
Home
Queensland
Article

Date

May 14, 2013 – 12:01AM

  • (1)
  • Comments 5

Tony Moore

Tony Moore

brisbanetimes.com.au senior reporter

View more articles from Tony Moore

Email Tony




The Treasury Casino which is owned by the Echo Entertainment Group is one of three of their casionos to put in place Voluntary pre-commitment Technology. 18th of February 2012. Photo: Harrison Saragossi
Click to play video



Recommended


Replay video


Heritage buildings from the 1860s will be preserved if Echo Entertainment wins approval from the Newman Government to build a new casino and hotel in the city.

Echo Entertainment managing director Geoff Hogg made the commitment on Monday as he revealed the group’s plans to develop two state-owned sites in George Street into a $1.3 billion entertainment precinct.

Mr Hogg said the company, which also manages Treasury Casino, would look to ‘‘blend’’ the new two-hectare precinct with the existing casino at the historic Lands Administration Building.

The George Street site in which Echo Entertainment - operators of the Treasury Casino - expressed interest for a new casino and hotel development.The heritage-listed Harris Terraces are in the foreground.

The heritage-listed Harris Terraces, near the George Street site that Echo Entertainment – operators of the Treasury Casino – want to develop. Photo: Tony Moore

He said commercial experience showed food and beverage hospitality worked “really well in heritage buildings.”

“That site that is around 80 and 100 George Street [and it] has some nice heritage buildings that would flow and link together,” Mr Hogg said.

“So having heritage hotels, and having heritage food and beverage offerings as part of an entertainment precinct really makes a lot of sense.” 

The old government printery, that now houses the State Public Sector Union club, which will not be demolished if Echo wins the right to demolish the nearby Executive Building.

The old government printery, that now houses the State Public Sector Union club, which will not be demolished if Echo wins the right to demolish the nearby Executive Building. Photo: Tony Moore

But expressions of interest in the George Street precinct have not yet opened, and Echo Entertainment will likely face competition from Crown Casino entrepreneur James Packer.

Since the Newman Government confirmed it would sell the land, Mr Packer has visited Brisbane twice to express an interest in opening his own casino and gaming complex.

The State Government has made clear its position that Brisbane needs only one casino operator licence.

If successful, Echo will demolish the State Government’s Executive Building and nearby 80 George to develop an entertainment precinct comprising a casino, hotel, restaurants and bars.

The two heritage buildings in the precinct include Harris Terraces on George Street, built in 1867 by local businessman George Harris, and the sandstone Public Service Club, built in 1862.

The State Public Service Club heritage-listed building now houses the State Public Service Club and faces William Street and Stephens Lane.

Augustines restaurant is in the next section of heritage building along George Street, while the LAB restaurant is now in the heritage-listed Lands Administration Building.

Mr Hogg said the group had approached Premier Campbell Newman about the possibility of acquiring the sites, and would spend 12 to 18 months planning their entertainment precinct if they won approval.

In May 2012, the state government confirmed it would sell the Executive Building at 80-100 George Street as it began to eye off plans for a new entertainment precinct in the inner-city.

In April 2013, the Newman Government offered six further inner-city buildings to the private sector for $562 million.


5 comments so far