Full steam ahead for North Rail Yards redevelopment
Date published: 15 January 2019
The redevelopment of the North Rail Yards is moving full steam ahead.
Townsville City Council will next week invite short-listed companies to submit their plans through a tender process to redevelop the North Rail Yards.
Deputy Mayor and Planning and Development Committee Chair Cr Les Walker said he was excited to discover what proposals will be put forward to transform the site.
“We want innovative and unique ideas put forward because we want to get the best outcome on that site,” Cr Walker said.
“The North Rail Yards have huge potential so we are encouraging the short-listed companies to be bold and imaginative with their plans.”
Cr Walker said there had been significant interest in redeveloping the North Rail Yards since Council put out the call for a project partner last November.
“There’s a lot of momentum building for projects in the Townsville City Waterfront Priority Development Area (PDA) at the moment,” Cr Walker said.
“The North Queensland Stadium is coming out of the ground, the Central Park upgrade will commence in coming months and the North Rail Yards redevelopment is another major project progressing swiftly.
“I’m confident there will be more and more cranes popping up within the Waterfront PDA as more projects get put forward.”
Cr Walker said Council’s Townsville 2020 vision was helping boost investor confidence by providing a clear vision for our city.
“There’s a renewed confidence and optimism about the future of Townsville’s economy and business are looking to invest and create jobs for locals,” Cr Walker said.
“Townsville 2020 provides a clear vision for our city and provide clarity to the business community about what sorts of projects we want right throughout our community.”
Cr Walker said he was excited by the swift progress of the North Rail Yards redevelopment.
“The North Rail Yards are a key CBD site that has sat vacant for decades and it’s fantastic there has been so much interest from the business community to transform the site,” Cr Walker said.
“I’m hoping there are some really interesting and innovative proposals put forward to make the most of such a unique site within our city.
“We want to revitalise the site so it becomes a popular destination in the CBD for both people and businesses.”
