Support for Change
Business
Townsville is one of Australia’s most dynamic regional cities. It is the largest city in northern Australia and has long made an outstanding contribution to Queensland’s and Australia’s economy. Every year, 1.2 million people visit the north Queensland region, and most of these visitors come to Townsville. The great potential of the city, however, is being restricted by the decline of Townsville’s central retail precinct traditionally located along Flinders Street.
The Flinders Street redevelopment will bring new life to this vital hub. It will restore Flinders Street’s historic role as the main-street heart of Townsville and provide a trigger for hundreds of millions of dollars of new investment in the CBD. Market research conducted by AECgroup and Enhance Management found the following results with regard to the redevelopment of Flinders Street and the Mall:
- 86.7% of CBD businesses were in favour,
- 70.9% of Cotters Markets stallholders surveyed were in favour, and
- 79.0% of Townsville residents were in favour.
Reasons for change
Without change, Flinders Mall will erode the economic performance of Townsville and north Queensland. The CBD is correctly presented as the dominant retail and commercial centre for the Townsville region in all statutory planning documents. It no longer functions as the primary retail area, and is at risk of losing its position from a commercial perspective.
The whole of the CBD needs to retain this status for the following reasons.
Major workforce
The CBD needs to be a single dominant centre for the ingress and egress of a major workforce. Dispersal of this workforce will not allow for consistent and sustainable public transport options across the whole of the city.
Regional Centre Status
The CBD needs to be a recognisable regional city centre in support of major industry across Northern Australia. Without this regional centre status, major corporations active in north Queensland are less likely to base management workforces in North Queensland.
Business and Economic Environment
A revitalised Flinders Street provides a more accurate introduction to the business and economic environment of north Queensland. The CBD captures 73% of visitor retail expenditure in north Queensland, yet is a point of embarrassment for the community.
“The redevelopment of Flinders Street, particularly the replacement of the existing pedestrian mall with a functioning main street, is crucial for the way that this city and the business environment of Townsville will be perceived for many years.”
Craig Stack, President of the Townsville Chamber of Commerce
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Community
Extensive community consultation and surveying has been conducted with overwhelming results.
Consultation with north Queensland residents has shown that current satisfaction with Flinders Street is well below average, with many feeling discouraged from visiting the area for shopping and recreation.
North Queensland residents are strongly supportive of Flinders Street being redeveloped, with 79% of residents in favour of the redevelopment project. A majority are also in favour of opening the Mall to two-way traffic. Other highly regarded initiatives include shade, parking, public amenities, and preserving the look and feel of the area’s heritage.
Clearly the community is tired of the ugly sightlines along Flinders Street East and the dilapidated, embarrassing state of Flinders Mall. Building a new main-street precinct for Flinders Street is about creating a city heart that will showcase the region’s great lifestyle. Market research conducted by AECgroup found only 20.3% of Townsville residents felt that the Flinders Street Mall positively promotes the City of Townsville.
The vision for the community is to create a main-street where shops and markets can thrive; where people from all walks of life can come together and experience the wonderful amenity that Townsville can offer. It is a vision of a beautiful, shaded and tree lined main-street that expresses Townsville’s unique tropical character and history - a main-street that is safe, friendly and comfortable by day and by night.
The redevelopment project will transform the community’s relationship with Flinders Street, creating a vibrant shopping and civic space that the people of north Queensland can take pride in and enjoy.
“The project will strengthen the role of Townsville’s CBD as the retail, service, and administrative engine for north Queensland’s nationally significant economy - an economy that provides an exceptional contribution to the wealth of Queensland and Australia.”
Glenys Schunter, CEO, Townsville Enterprise
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