COUNCIL UNVEILS FUTURE VISION
A BOLD plan to revitalise Townsville and make it more appealing to younger generations will be unveiled today.
Townsville City Council will reveal details of the Townsville 2020 masterplan at a business breakfast.
Local businesses are among the first beneficiaries, winning contracts for projects to make the city more appealing.
Counterpoint Architecture, with Milford Planning, has won the tender to lead the revitalisation of Castle Hill, while Place Design will supervise the design of new features at entry points to the city.
Today’s launch comes after the council engaged Pure Projects to establish a masterplan to retain the city’s population and attract more tourists.
A TREE- LINED and trelliscovered laneway has been proposed for a property between Ogden and Flinders streets to provide pedestrian access between a planned bus hub and shops.
Townsville City Council yesterday confirmed it had bought the property, site of the former Sportspower shop, for the proposal, which it is calling Flinders Lane.
Sportspower closed earlier this year after more than 70 years of trading.
Reaction to the plan has been mixed with some businesspeople saying they support anything that draws more people into the CBD, while others suggest it is a waste of money.
Mayor Jenny Hill said the redevelopment of the property would be taken to the community to understand what locals wanted on the site.
“It’s going to be a key thoroughfare from the bus hub into the heart of the CBD,” Cr Hill said.
“The redevelopment could include a laneway scattered with cafes and boutique retail stores but we want to know what the community wants.”
The 521sq m property is understood to have sold for $ 800,000.
It is opposite another property, a former hardware store in Ogden St, bought by the council for $ 1.5 million earlier this year and demolished for a planned roadway for buses as part of a public transport terminal or bus hub.
Owner of property firm Northern Management Group Mark Adams was not familiar with the council’s plans but said he looked forward to “how it brings people to the CBD”.
Cowboys Leagues Club chairman Daryl Holmes said he supported anything that actively engaged and drew people into the CBD.
“Hopefully, many and various hospitality and entertainment venues are at ( people’s) disposal, including the Cowboys Leagues Club,” Mr Holmes said.
Speckled Hen trader Ian Fleming said the council’s “pigheadedness” in refusing to return to the previous bus hub site in Stokes St and its willingness to spend $ 2 million acquiring property for a new hub “boggles the mind”.
Metro Quays resident Wayne Haller said residents had not been consulted about the council’s decision over the bus hub and that to consult now after decisions had been made was “nothing short of ludicrous”.
“The purchase of two sites after the event, justifying their original decision, I would question as to whether it’s ratepayers’ money being well spent,” Mr Haller said.
In October, the Bulletin reported on suggestions the council was set to buy the Sportspower site but was told by a spokesman then that while it was interested in the property, no final decision had been made.