Centre crying out for patrons

HAYDEN SMITH ple down this way,” he said. “Turnover is nowhere near what is used to be.

“We even have locals tell us that they had forgotten we were even here.

“Many years ago, if you wanted to visit the Great Barrier Reef, you had to walk through The Pier.”

Mr Koch said he had enjoyed productive discussions about the issue with Cairns Division 5 councillor Richie Bates.

Cr Bates said opportunities to boost connectivity to The Pier could be addressed under the City Centre Master Plan, currently under review.

“The Pier is clearly not what it used to be,” he said.

“In the ’90s, the place was booming, but Cairns Central being built, among other things, caused it to drop off.”

Cr Bates said the ideas put forward by Mr Koch were “worth consideration”.

“The City Master Plan should embrace better connectivity for The Pier, which is a bit isolated from pedestrians,” he said.