Mission Beach revitalisation project under fire by Village Green and CBD businesses
They’ve survived cyclones and the pandemic-era lockdowns, but some reckon the $18m Mission Beach revitalisation project could be the final nail in the coffin for businesses.
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They’ve survived cyclones and the pandemic-era lockdowns, but some reckon the $18m Mission Beach revitalisation project could be the final nail in the coffin for businesses in the picturesque seaside village.
On Wednesday, almost 50 Mission Beach locals including business owners packed into the Mission Beach Blues Bar for a secretive meeting to voice their concerns, fears and frustrations with Cassowary Coast Regional Council’s $18m Mission Beach Town Centre Revitalisation Project.
Tension was high, as was the angst among those attending, and there was strict scrutiny of anyone wishing to enter the invite-only event, including media.
In the usually-sleepy seaside town on Wednesday, the reason for the meeting was clear.
Mission Beach’s central business district, comprising the Village Green and adjacent Porter Promenade, was hardly recognisable; the main street was reduced to one lane and construction fencing wove through pedestrian areas and across the face of businesses as work continues on a long-planned upgrade of the town’s centre.
The first stage of the project included building a new car park off Campbell St, which has been completed, while Stage 2 includes heavier construction including the replacement of stormwater, electricity and water infrastructure, before “revitalisation” works begin for the Village Green, including upgraded lanscaping, pavements, and public amenity infrastructure.
Stage 2 works started in July 2024 and were anticipated to be completed in entirety by December this year.
CCRC’s March construction staging update noted sub-stages which included stormwater, pavement and landscaping works were anticipated to be completed by April 2025 within the Village Green, and by June this year along David St and closer to the beach.
On Wednesday, business owners took turns on the dormant stage of the Blues Bar, which hasn’t traded since Australia Day, to share how they had been impacted by the works, with a number of them declaring they would likely call it quits, by way of selling or opting not to renew leases.
While some businesses expressed their displeasure with the project, the room quickly came to understand the reasons behind the need for the upgrade of underground infrastructure, and how it led to an opportunity for revitalisation.
And while most business owners accepted construction came with disruptions, it was clear their shared frustrations - which included fencing running passed their doors, costs incurred with the clean up of dust and debris, generators pumping 24/7 and the sudden outages of water, electricity and telecommunication services - had pushed them to breaking point.
A Village Green beautician revealed she was losing $600 in bookings per week due to sudden cancellations, including ones forced by unplanned water outages while clients had product on their face.
A clothing store stated it was planning on selling, while a burger outlet told the crowd it was unlikely to renew its lease.
A gift shop spoke of moving sites to Tully, while hospitality businesses revealed they were reducing staff and operating hours.
For Mission Beach Blues Bar owners Allanah and Greg King, the crunch point came on January 26, when they decided to put the iconic music venue with a 20-year-history in town into hibernation.
The venue, located on the corner of Village Green and Porter Promenade has faced multiple stages of works in one go, and is almost completely engulfed by fencing.
“I get emotional because Greg, who’s retired and bruised and battered, has now gone back to work to pay the rent here,” Ms King said.
“This was supposed to be a fun retirement.”
Summarising Wednesday’s meeting, Ms King said businesses felt like they had been deceived.
“We were all told there’d be no impact on access to our businesses,” she said.
“Up until the meeting (on Wednesday), we had fencing go right passed our doors.
“We were told the whole thing was going to happen in stages so they’d do a bit and then move on, but now it’s just one giant dirt pit.”
Ms King said there was no foot traffic.
“You look out there, why would any tourist or even local want to walk through a construction site or a dirt pit.
At least if it was in segments you get the idea there’s works ‘over there’, but ‘over here’ is still accessible.
“For instance, two Saturdays ago, we were shut, but the (neighbouring business) Garage had maybe 12 people, Charlie’s had one, Laundro Lounge had none.
“We’ve all survived cyclones, we survived Covid, but this is what could kill Mission Beach.”
Ms King said while most businesses accepted there would be disruption, they felt communications between the council and operators had been poor.
“We just can’t plan, timelines get changed, or water goes off, or the fencing changes,” she said.
“They have meetings here, but it feels like no one is listening, and then they go post (to social media) how all us businesses are happy.
“I know there’s some businesses talking about compensation, they might be entitled to that, but we don’t even want compensation, we just want a clear idea of when the works right in front of us will be finished so we can open again. At the moment no one can even see us, our suppliers and musos can’t get in.”
Ms King said while she planned on reopening if she could survive financially, she “regrettably” would not recommend tourists visit north Mission Beach.
“We’ll come to you, we’ll come to Cairns.
“The council tried doing this voucher thing (Shop Mission Beach campaign), that doesn’t help when the town is dead, I have not seen one person benefit from that.”
Know more? Email arun.singhmann@news.com.au
COUNCIL DEFENDS PROJECT PROGRESS
Cassowary Coast Regional Council says it has remained open and transparent with Mission Beach businesses, who have spoke out against the town’s revitalisation project at a major community meeting.
Businesses trading around the Village Green stated they felt aggrieved by poor communication from the local government about changes to the works, while noting they expected construction to occur in smaller sub-stages, to minimise impacts to the town’s centre.
“While we recognise that businesses expected smaller sub-stages within the Village Green, the project has consistently been planned in two key phases — stormwater works, followed by landscaping,” a CCRC spokesman said.
“Completed to date, is the stormwater works in the Village Green and David St, (contractor) RMS is now progressing drainage works on Porter Promenade, and will continue in sequence, with Campbell St scheduled as the final stage.
“Council has been transparent about the project’s progression, with all staging plans publicly available on the YourSay website.”
The spokesman said the overall project scope had not changed and was still due for completion by December.
The spokesman defended the sudden outages of services including water, power and telecommunications, while noting it was the responsibility of the contractor to provide updates.
“However, working in an established town centre can present unforeseen issues, such as service clashes due to ageing infrastructure or outdated plans. When disruptions do occur, the RMS team work quickly with service providers to restore essential services, however council acknowledge that this is an area of continual focus and improvement.”
In response to fences impeding views and restricting access, the spokesman said it was to be accepted as “part of a safe work site” but stated “at no point has pedestrian access to businesses been prevented”.
The spokesman also denied claims the council had published communications listing all businesses as “happy”.
“We recognise that experiences may vary, and we remain committed to working closely with businesses to address concerns and minimise disruptions wherever possible.”
The spokesman confirmed the council had voted against compensation at an October, 2023 meeting, prior to works starting, and instead spruiked its $30,000 Shop Mission Beach campaign – which he said 22 businesses had signed up for since September 2024 and about $2000 had been returned back into the community.
The spokesman said businesses were never “advised” to seek state government funding for compensation, but were “encouraged” to explore state assistance.
The spokesman said the local government had held three community meetings, pushed 32 works notifications and published 19 social media posts in relation to communication updates.
“We have already adjusted our approach by introducing broader monthly updates, followed by targeted notifications for directly impacted businesses. We encourage business owners to stay connected through our YourSay website and to reach out directly with any concerns.”
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