RAIL YARDS GAIN KEEN INTERES T
LONG- held hopes to redevelop more than 4ha of land on Ross Creek have been given a lift with a strong response to a Townsville City Council call for expressions of interest.
Mayor Jenny Hill said dozens of companies had expressed an interest in the site, a former railway yard including heritage- listed sheds, now owned by the council. The council last month opened the search for a project partner to masterplan and develop the site.
Cr Hill said transforming the land, which was within the Waterfront Priority Development Area, was an important aspect of the council’s Townsville 2020 Masterplan.
“Townsville 2020 provides a clear vision for our city and it is giving confidence to businesses to invest in our city and create jobs,” Cr Hill said.
“Sites like the North Rail Yards present a huge opportunity in the PDA and we’ve already attracted a lot of in- terest since we opened up the search for a project partner. Dozens of companies have expressed an interest in putting forward their plans for the site.”
The council acquired the North Yards from the State Government in 2013.
It includes 4.5ha of land fronting Ross Creek and historic railway workshops established in the 1880s.
Concepts for the site have included a bustling lifestyle destination with cafes, shops, units and recreational facilities, including a need to refurbish the railway sheds for community use and maintain a public walkway along Ross Creek.
Development experts Ranbury were engaged in 2013, while in 2016 the Calcutta Group undertook market sounding to help the council with plans for a mixed use precinct.
The plans has been hampered in recent years by a lack of appetite for development but that is changing with construction of the North Queensland Stadium now well under way for opening in March 2020.