Community & Business
1 April, 2025
Blueprint for a better CBD
A BLUEPRINT that promises to deliver a vibrant, safe, attractive and clean CBD for Mareeba is a step closer after Mareeba Shire Council approved a $1.2 million contract to develop the plan.
The CBD Revitalisation Blueprint is being funded through a $2.1 million grant from the Federal Government and presents the town with a unique opportunity to properly design a shopping precinct that will be both user-friendly and structurally sound.
“The blueprint is a very important project for Mareeba residents because it will provide construction- ready plans to revitalise the Mareeba CBD between Herberton St and Lloyd St and between Constance St and Railway Avenue,” Mareeba Mayor Angela Toppin said.
While the design plans will be finalised during the next 18 months to two years, council will have to rely on future grant funding to make it a reality.
“Having a comprehensive Precinct Plan ready to go will greatly assist council when applying for future grant funding to improve the main street of Mareeba,” Mayor Toppin said.
The scope of the project, which was awarded to GHD, includes planning and design for:
• Stormwater drainage, including reconfiguring high kerbs to ensure pedestrian accessibility meets the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). Council has begun a stormwater catchment assessment and preliminary design which will be progressed as part of the project.
• Undergrounding of overhead powerlines, subject to Ergon engagement
• Lighting - both for security and amenity/night-time activation
• Walking and cycling facilities, including on-road and off-road facilities, paths, crossings and bicycle parking. This will include a review of the Mareeba Walking Network Plan and Priority Works Program (2022).
• Overall accessibility (universal design), including accessibility for people with vision impairment such as ramps to shops protruding into footpath
• Car parking, including safety associated with disability parking bays
• Public toilet facilities
• Street trees and landscaping, including a review of the Mareeba Shire Street Tree Masterplan 2017
• General amenity such as seating, public art and water bubblers and activation of the Mareeba CBD.
• Other initiatives as identified through the community engagement process for the precinct plan.
“I’m really excited about this,” Deputy Mayor Lenore Wyatt commented at the March council meeting.
“For many years, we have had a lot of issues with disability access so this will be disability compliant and I think the thing that excites me the most is the stormwater drainage – we are actually going to be able to get that right.”
Byrnes Street has had issues with stormwater flooding for years, with water quickly inundating footpaths in heavy rainfall and overwhelming drainage outlets.
Cr Wyatt also commented that putting powerlines underground would make “Mareeba look a lot different.”
Cr Amy Braes acknowledged the importance of the project.
“This is one of those projects that doesn’t come along very often and I’m looking forward to getting the planning right through a strong process, working with the consultants and the community to develop plans that are grant ready so that when funding becomes available, we can jump on that,” she said.
“It’s sometimes difficult (for people to understand) that this amount of money will be spent on planning and nothing will be seen in effect immediately, but this is one of those strategic projects that I’m very pleased to see happening and grateful that the Federal Government has funded it.”
Chief executive officer Peter Franks confirmed that the Chamber of Commerce would be consulted initially and the business sector when developing the plans which would then be presented to the whole community for their feedback.
