WE LOVE A LANEWAY

Developers eye five potential CBD hotspots

TOOWOOMBA’S CBD is on the verge of another laneway boom, according to one of the city’s top commercial agents.

At least five hot spots have been identified by The Chronicle across Toowoomba that could soon become the next Walton Stores or Ground Up Espresso, paying homage to the laneway culture of big cities like Melbourne and Brisbane.

LJ Hooker commercial agent Mike Stewart said opportunities were being explored on Margaret, Annand, Victoria and Lamb Sts, as well as the old Foundry on the New England Highway.

Some of these proposals are yet to go before the council.

THE acclaimed First Coat Festival might not return in its prior form any time soon, but its co-founder Grace Dewar still has plans to keep Toowoomba’s growing street and laneway art culture alive.

Ms Dewar said she was working on a proposal to deliver to the Toowoomba Regional Council later this year, which would create up to two new public art pieces every year across the Toowoomba CBD.

Ms Dewar rose to prominence in the Garden City as both an artist and one of the coordinators of the First Coat Festival, which brought national and international artists to Toowoomba to decorate the city’s laneways and walls with beautiful murals and pieces.

She said her latest development would keep the spirit of the festival alive by asking the council to fund new artworks.

“We’re currently lobbying the council to maintain and grow the public art assets in the CBD,” Ms Dewar said.

“We’ve lost a couple of pieces in recent months and years, such as the Steve Irwin one, due to the nature of public art.

“We are in a budget bid, asking for contributions for two new public artworks every year for the next three years. That’s something we’re trying to negotiate.

“There are 80-odd public artworks in the city, and another six would be fantastic.”

Ms Dewar said she believed street art played a huge role in enhancing and activating certain laneways in the city, citing the Walton Stores precinct as an example.

“Walton Stores was originally a dingy laneway and they widened that laneway, kept the public artwork (installed prior to development) and developed behind it,” she said.

“I can’t deny that the public artwork that was already there hadn’t made (the developers) feel about that laneway in a different way.”

Cr Geoff McDonald expressed interest for the concept when asked about it.

Photo: Contributed LANEWAY LIFE: Five potential sites have been identified to further develop Toowoomba’s laneway culture.

Photo: Kevin Farmer FUTURE PLANS: First Coat Festival co-founder Grace Dewar wants to see public artwork become a consistent tradition in Toowoomba, funded through the council.