Fresh plan to fire up city site
TOWNSVILLE CITY Council is investigating whether the CBD’s North Yards rail site should be redeveloped into small lots for business opportunities in a bid to rejuvenate the city.
It is the latest attempt by the council to stimulate interest in development of the area.
The 4.5ha site, which fronts Flinders St and Ross Creek, was purchased by the council from the State Government for $ 20,000 in August 2013 after being identified as having “strategic value” to Townsville’s inner city.
After the purchase, the council sought expressions of interest from developers to create a masterplan for the site but it attracted little interest.
The council again investigated marketing the site in 2016 but that attempt to kickstart development also failed.
The latest proposal, North Yards Urban Village, would be located within Precinct 1 of the Townsville City Waterfront Priority Development Area development scheme.
Planning and Community Engagement director Eber Butron said the council was determining the best use for the site that would maximise development potential while protecting its heritage value.
“... And that complements other investments in the Priority Development Area,” he said. “This follows on from the strategic vision that the council adopted in the recent Townsville Master Planning Strategic Analysis and Reporting undertaken by Pure Projects, the council plans to develop the North Yards Masterplan to attract investors while maintaining its legacy as a heritage precinct.”
Mr Butron said the council had identified several models that built on the site’s heritage value and captured the “big ideas” of “connect, collaborate and innovate” that would drive the site’s redevelopment.
“The investigations are based on supporting both the CBD revitalisation, as well as the Waterfront PDA and stadium precincts,” he said.
“In the meantime, BMD are using the North Yards as the storage and operating office as part of the CBD utilities upgrade works.
“The CBD is expanding with major projects like the stadium and that will make the North Yards an important site for the overall development of the CBD and PDA.
“Rather than focus on one major development taking in the entire site, the investigations and potential future masterplan will assess the potential for small lot developments that will make more viable business opportunities.”