Get on the right track
FIVE years ago, our city council bought the disused railyards on the banks of Ross Creek.
They paid a nominal fee of sweet bugger all, and people got pretty excited.
Maybe, finally, we would get something like Rusty’s Market in Cairns, which with a roof, permanent stalls and a food hall is a regular haunt for tourists and local shoppers, day and night.
But with rumblings of contaminated ground and the usual consultants brought in as per ‘ always,’ nothing eventuated, and when the railyards were used to store building materials, its future looked grim. But this week, progress! The council has called for expressions of interest for a project partner to masterplan and develop the site.
This is good and bad news. The good news is they’re not waiting for the heritage- listed sheds to fall down after all. The bad news is someone else will have to do all the heavy lifting.
The issue is the same as always when outside interests fund a project – the overriding factor for developers is getting a return on their investment, and the most popular methods are concrete jungles of apartments with lower floors left vacant for eateries to fit out themselves.
We’ve seen it at both ends of Palmer St, developers dreamt big and demolished, then if they did rebuild, ground- floor levels were vacant for years, meanwhile the redeveloped western end of Flinders St is already an architectural eyesore.
We are the hottest and driest town along the Queensland coast, can’t we come up with a concept that capitalises on this?
Capital cities continue to be a magnet for our frustrated youth and their innovative ideas, and most backpackers and adventurous tourists still use
Townsville as a stop between their preferred destinations, Cairns and Airlie Beach.
More innovative developments such as City Lane are needed but in ways that connect us to the waterfront.
We’ve watched the concreteification of our formerly unique and leafy mall, been appalled by the Hive project’s concrete forecourt, marvelled at the train wreck of the bus hub and rolled our eyes at the stadium budget blowout – do leaders only consider something as ‘ progressive’ if it involves a massive concrete pour?
Cr Len Walker said: “The potential of this site is incredible and we want to see the most imaginative and innovative proposals possible.”
Yet despite the success of an inflatable water slide during our coldest winter month some years ago, calls for a permanent version continue to go unanswered.
And who can forget Tim’s Surf and Turf – a riverside bar and eatery under coloured party lights that enjoyed crowds queuing for tables right until it was closed over a decade ago, demolished to make way for a development that still hasn’t eventuated.
And with the proposed South Townsville beer garden appearing to have disappeared without a trace, is it even possible for developers to get anything through council’s red tape?
The old adage build it and they will come only works if the ‘ it’ is something people want.
How about something fun, and cool? Awesome, even?
Let the planning begin.