[IMG2=right]http://www.lifeinqueensland.com/images/cairns-plan.jpg[/IMG2]Master plan for the Cairns CBD envisages lush, green, "city in a garden" inner city streets with a focus on transport, shade and a consistent, tropical look.

Last year, Cairns Regional called on consultants to come up with a new vision for the city CBD that would help in developing Cairns into the "best regional centre in Australia".

The 15-year plan for the CBD features big ticket overhauls of popular streets and public spaces, as well as new guidelines that will clean up the patchwork appearance of the city’s pavements, lights and signs. It will be the first consistent master plan for the city’s overall look and feel, after decades of "ad hoc" CBD planning by previous councils.

The master plan aims to condense the city’s sprawl to a compact hub between Grafton St, Shields St and the Esplanade to encourage mixed and more concentrated uses of spaces in the city centre. The draft master plan report will be presented to councillors for endorsement on Wednesday and Mayor Val Schier said money would be included in the council’s 2011-12 Budget to break ground on the first stage of projects – likely to be in Grafton St.

CBD councillor Alan Blake said the council would lobby the State Government for funds to help roll out projects as soon as possible.

The Government pledged $38 million to Cairns in last week’s Budget to rebuild City Place.

The draft report calls for a "great tropical living room" in Cairns with gathering spaces that are cool and shady by day and festive and lively at night.

"These gathering spaces will be the focus and civic structure of the city," the report says.

Inner-city Taskforce member Danny Betros said Cairns was overdue for a CBD that matched the appeal of surrounding tourism drawcards.

"Once you walk off the Esplanade, there are no places in the CBD that you’d stop and take a photo," Mr Betros said. "This overhaul is going to do great things."

Cr Blake said the council wanted to make a start on the projects as soon as possible.

"It is urgent – we need to start revitalising the city," he said.

"And I’d like to think the State Government could look favourably upon our city after they’ve committed funds to other CBD projects like in Townsville."

The draft master plan report will be presented to councillors on Wednesday.

"When we look at maps of the CBD, we’ve actually lost a lot of our trees and the city centre doesn’t reflect the hills and the scenery that surround it," Mayor Val Schier said.

A series of shaded urban parks along Grafton St is likely to be the first initiative under way when funds are allocated.

And Shields and Lake St will be given similar treatments in coming years, with an emphasis on tree planting and shaded urban spaces featured throughout the draft report.

A budget for the master plan has not been finalised by the council, but preliminary costings in the draft report estimate a price tag of about $81. 5 million.

The plan was developed through community consultation sessions and further workshops will be held as the draft report is finalised and rolled out.

 

Work to start on Waterfront Development in Cairns next month

This week, the Queensland Government unveiled its $23.3 million leisure precinct along the foreshore that will complete the CBD’s 1.6km waterfront boardwalk, linking the Lagoon to the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal.

During the two-year planning and construction stages the project is expected to create about 160 jobs after the first sod is turned next month.

"The construction of the Lagoon not only gave the foreshore a facelift but it created jobs and it was a positive turn around for our economy back then as it created jobs," Cairns Chamber of Commerce president Anthony Mirotsos said.

"This development will also create jobs but while it’s welcomed and a timely committed government initiative, there are projects that have already been laid out for the region, such as the Ray Jones Drive upgrade, that also need to be happening now to really boost our economy."

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Rob Giason said the foreshore development would add to the value of Cairns’ already existing tourism attractions.

"Our biggest attractions are our natural assets such as the rainforest and the Reef but the foreshore development is another amenity to the city," he said.

The project will include an interactive playground and climbing structure built into the 70-year-old fig tree next to Wharf 1, a kiosk, and commercial space for restaurants and shops.

 

Couple of updates of the CBD & waterfront developments in Cairns.

The video below shows the plan for the CBD, which is expected to start being renovated next year.

[video=youtube;SZyeiIsetzQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZyeiIsetzQ[/video]

The image below shows the Cairns Entertainment Precinct concept plan.

 

The Cairns Entertainment Precinct overcame one obstacle today, when the project was voted through by Major Val Schier, who had the casting vote, after a heated council vote was tied at 5-5. The $150 million project promises an immediate boost in construction jobs, investment and confidence in the city.