Dalby residents continue fight against cultural centre at Thomas Jack Park, 500 signatures collected for injunction

Members of the We Love TJ Park and Save Thomas Jack Park committees were out in force at the weekend, protesting Western Downs Regional Council’s plan to build a cultural centre in the park.

A protest was staged at Thomas Jack Park at the weekend, with more than 500 people signing an injunction against Western Downs Regional Council and their plan to build a cultural centre at the site.

Thousands attended the Western Downs Regional Councils' free family fun day at Thomas Jack Park on Sunday, but not everyone there was pleased with council’s future plans for the site.

As part of the market and family fun day council held a stall allowing members of the community to give their ideas and suggestions for the Thomas Jack Park Precinct masterplan.

Back in April Western Downs Regional Council voted to take more time to review the location and budget of a future cultural hub in Dalby after a petition with almost 5000 signatures was presented to council at the meeting.

Council then opted to do community consultation receiving 747 survey submissions.

At its Ordinary Meeting in June, they ultimately resolved to proceed with concept planning for the integration of a visitor information centre, library, cinema, and art gallery in the park with a maximum development footprint of 2500sq m in Thomas Jack Park.

Thomas Jack Park Dalby. Picture: Sam Turner

While council held their event, members of the We Love TJ Park and Save Thomas Jack Park community groups held their own meeting where they sourced 500 signatures calling for an injunction on plans to build a cultural centre in the park.

Member of the We Love Thomas Jack Park committee Craig Hartley said they had a strong turnout of people determined to save the park.

“There was a good number of people who turned out, we collected 500 signatures to call a stop on the work going ahead in Thomas Jack Park so that was really successful,” he said.

“We had a few speakers who spoke at 1pm and had about 120 people there with a show of hands indicating 100 per cent of people were against it.

“I think what the whole team got out of it was the disgust from the community in what the council is doing to Dalby and to the park and it has given everyone fuel to go forward and take this until the end.”

Mr Hartley said they were not against the creation of a cultural centre but couldn't comprehend why council wouldn't opt to build it in the abandoned Lot 107.

“What came out of my research is that through the better part of 2022 council was collecting comments and ideas on the new cultural centre,” he said.

“They had 460 responses which isn't many responses but it appears that some people thought they were giving ideas for a site on lot 107 not in Thomas Jack Park.

“They are now saying those comments were for Thomas Jack Park.

“The crowd were all for the development of the cultural centre on lot 107 because it served Dalby really well for 40 years. It was the sports centre, it was the town council place and the cinema and it is in a perfect spot to welcome people to the town.

“In the park they aren't allowed to use the front section and I did all the measurements and at 107 there is 14,100sq m and those three little areas of the park combined are only around that mark.

“So why would they try to jam three different lots of buildings into three different parts of the park when there is all that space at 107.

“Everyone is disgusted with them not using it because it is the perfect area to build a beautiful precinct to show Dalby.”

Mr Hatley said they would not be taking the development laying down and would continue to fight.

“We will keep collecting signatures for the injunction for a little bit longer, we had 4500 on the petition and somehow council got that down to 900 on their survey,” he said.

“There's no way you can knock that many signatures down, it is a really significant number of people in the town who aren't happy.

“Moving forward we will keep the pressure on all the councillors, the mayor and the chief executive and we will keep working through the process to put this injunction in place.

“We have to beat this council because they aren't running it right, they aren’t listening to the people and they aren't making common sense decisions.”

The Western Downs Regional Council have been contacted for comment.