CALL FOR CAUTION
Restaurateurs clamouring for a spot in proposed Cairns Esplanade dining precinct
RESTAURATEURS in the heart of the city are fighting to be included in any plan to transform the Cairns Esplanade into a pedestrian-friendly outdoor dining precinct.
Mayor Bob Manning says that is exactly what they will get as Cairns Regional Council methodically works through the masterplanning process without swaying to pressure to get on with the job.
But a clear majority of Cairns Post readers have backed the plan – even if vehicular traffic is only blocked for a run of Friday night trials.
“There are a lot of stakeholders, principally 165,000 people who live in Cairns,” Cr Manning said. “They won’t be swept aside. “We’ve got businesses on Grafton St, Lake St, all through the city, and they have to be taken into account.
“The Esplanade is not the centre of the world.”
Crystalbrook Collection CEO Mark Davie has been the most outspoken advocate for landscaping the current Esplanade roadway into a pedestrian area – importantly in time for the opening of new hotel Flynn late this year.
He said no one from the council had been in contact since he commissioned concept art for how the project could look.
Crystalbrook owner Ghassan Aboud will be in town next month and is seeking a meeting with the mayor.
“This is an issue that will remain on the table until it’s resolved. It’s not some kneejerk thing – this has been around for a long time, Mr Davie said.
“It’s not about just putting out more tables. It would be a fully landscaped area that would add to the whole aesthetic of the Esplanade.”
Mr Davie said the design he commissioned was not complex – simply a mixture of entertainment spaces, seating, walkways and parkland with temporary vehicle access.
Jafflehead owner Ben Duncan said traders further back in the CBD wanted to ensure upgrades to the Esplanade did not come at a cost to their bottom line.
“It needs to be discussed with everybody, not just the people on the Esplanade,” he said. “If they’re going to put food trucks out there, that’s out of the question.
“We’re getting slugged massive rent, whereas these guys can just park and do as they please.”