General News
25 March, 2025
Questions over Prior’s Ck upkeep
SERIOUS questions are being asked about how Tablelands Regional Council will be able to maintain the new Prior’s Creek recreational precinct when it is failing to keep Atherton’s main business district in a clean and attractive condition.
Councillors have reported they are receiving complaints on a weekly basis about how unclean and dreary the town’s approaches and main centre looks, which has triggered a review into the budget allocated to park and gardens.
Businesswoman Helen Williams, who has operated the Summers Newsagency in the main street for the past 18 years, has spoken out about the drop in the standard of the CBD, saying it was obvious to locals and tourists.
“We regularly have people come here and ask, ‘what happened to Atherton. It used to be so pretty, it’s used to be so clean’,” she said.
“There are no more flowers growing in the median strip where they used to be, the planter boxes are full of weeds and are not maintained, the brick wall has trees growing out of it, there is black mould all over the concrete areas which is not pressure cleaned, and we have weeds growing everywhere.
“I noticed the change after amalgamation when the standard declined and it has never returned.
“The TRC is like a mushroom - it’s top heavy – there’s less boots on the ground than what’s sitting in the building.”
Ms Williams is asking how the council will fund the annual ongoing maintenance of the Prior’s Creek precinct once it is completed and believes too much money is being sunk into the project at the expense of the CBD area, and maintenance of other towns and roads in the local government area.
“I’ve been advised it could cost up to $1 million in annual maintenance costs and the council was going to offset this by selling or leasing five lots but that hasn’t happened to date so how will they pay for it?” she said.
“The five lots have not been sold not and that was supposed to be the revenue-raising exercise to pay for ongoing maintenance and repairs to the precinct.
“There’s only one way they will find that money – and that’s increasing the rates or cutting services. Does that mean they close libraries and the like?
“I have no faith that they will keep that area up to scratch, they can’t look after the rest of stuff in town and now they’re going to further spread thin the parks and gardens staff who do a fantastic job with what they have.”
She is also critical of the council’s decision to remove the toilet block in Vernon Street, saying people would now have to walk a long way to access the amenities in the parklands area.
Ms Williams also has concerns as to why the council went ahead with Stage 1B of the project when the previous council had only approved Stage 1A until such time as there was assurance the five lots would be sold for the additional revenue required.
TRC responded to questions posed by The Express, but refused to divulge what the annual maintenance costs would be for Prior’s Creek and rejected any suggestion that it needed to sell the lots to pay for the ongoing costs, saying “council is not dependent on the sale of the lots to fund the Priors Creek Project”.
Former councillor David Clifton confirmed that at the early stages of planning the project, the Queensland Treasury Corporation had given a “round” figure of $1 million per annum repairs and maintenance as a base.
“I saw an economic assessment that made it clear that there needed to be $15.5 million in private investment with the sale of the five lots in the precinct,” he said.
“At that time, the council approved Stage 1A with progress towards Stage 1B but only if the land was sold. At the time, the council land agent, Quaid’s Real Estate, recommended that we needed to wait for some time for the land sales to occur in the present environment.
“That the new council has approved Stage 1B is certainly confusing given that the economic conditions seem to have worsened rather than improved.”
A council spokesperson defended the removal of the toilet block from the CBD, stating that “Vernon Street is the main entrance for the Priors Creek Parklands and having a toilet block in the middle of the road is not appropriate from a safety and accessibility perspective, and reduces the view of the parklands from Main Street”.
Council acknowledged that the two new toilets will be a 200m walk from the main street, adding that the Barron Valley Hotel also provided public toilets, and another was located near the Atherton Tablelands Information Centre.
Responses from TRC
Council decided to review the budget for parks and gardens staff after it was raised at the last meeting. Is this the way forward in improving the maintenance of the CBD area?
Council has a strong interest in improving the maintenance of public spaces in our towns. Establishing programs and measuring the time associated to deliver these programs allows for transparency in the costs of services levels. This also allows for informed decision making when there are gaps are in the program to determine the most efficient way to address. Council establishes budgets annually based on its service priorities and affordability.
Why does council not plant flowers anymore - in the roundabout at the northern entrance to the town (near Prior’s Creek), in the main street median where they used to be, and in the planter boxes in the street?
TRC’s planting practices consider the impact on all ratepayers of the cost of ongoing maintenance and the level of service associated with planting, as it must do with all ongoing maintenance. Planter boxes are still available for shop owners to use and maintain. This sharing allows us to focus on other maintenance while the shop owners take civic pride in the streetscape, resulting in benefits for the community and TRC.
How much money will be needed annually to maintain Prior’s Creek precinct? Has this been calculated and councillors advised of such?
The amount spent on operations will be determined by the level of service adopted by Council. All new assets come with a calculated ongoing operations and maintenance expenses. These decisions are made during planning to ensure the sustainability and long-term impacts and benefits are known.
If the lots are not sold or leased to raise revenue to expend on the maintenance of the precinct, what is council’s plan to find that additional money?
Council is not dependent on the sale of the lots to fund the Priors Creek Project. Any funds from the sale of any of Council’s assets is considered broadly in terms of where any money is best allocated and spent, in the overall interests of the community. However, selling the lots for appropriate development is important to achieve Council’s aiming of enhancing economic development and tourism, and also increasing liveability.
Why did council go ahead with Stage 1B when the previous council only approved Stage 1A until the lots were sold or leased? Why did this change?
It is a matter for each Council to determine what decisions it wishes to continue with, and which decisions it wishes to revisit. For example, this might occur when taking into account any changes in circumstances including changes in strategic direction set with guiding documents such as Corporate Plans, or future planning for financial sustainability. It is also open for any current Council to revisit any resolution previously made in this term. For example, if new information becomes available that gives rise to questions about existing resolutions.
