COMMITTED TO NEW TERMINAL
FERRY operator SeaLink says it is committed to delivering a new Townsville terminal, which is expected to transform its current site into a thriving tourism precinct.
SeaLink and the State Government announced the project last year as a market- led proposal for land owned by the Port of Townsville.
The project, called the SeaLink Strand Terminal, is being planned for a site further upstream from the current terminal site near The Strand.
A SeaLink spokesman said they continued to work with the State Government through the market- led proposal process and with Townsville developer Honeycombes Property Group on securing tenancies and to build the feasibility of the renewal of the ferry terminal precinct.
“The project remains a priority for SeaLink and the developer and we are committed to the delivery by mid- 2020,” the spokesman said.
A spokesman for the Department of State Development said the project had advanced to the detailed proposal stage of the process.
“The objective of the detailed proposal stage is to ensure that the project is feasible, that the project meets the MLP criteria, and that the proponent has the capacity to de- liver the project if it proceeds,” the spokesman said.
“The Government has granted SeaLink an exclusive mandate to develop its detailed proposal and will not consider other similar proposals during this time.
“While the Government is supporting SeaLink to develop the detailed proposal, this is not a government project. It is SeaLink’s proposal and it is up to SeaLink to deliver it.”
The project was announced in August last year as a $ 56 million development that could include commercial uses, short and long- term accommodation and public space.
At the time, then treasurer Curtis Pitt said it was exactly what the Government wanted to see under its market- led proposal framework.