$93 million investment will give Hervey Bay a CBD

An approved $93m project will finally give Hervey Bay a CBD, something Maryborough has had since the 1800s, says a Fraser Coast property industry leader.

The Fraser Coast Property Association has defended the council’s vote to spend more than $50m on a “game-changing” centre in Hervey Bay after Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders slammed the project as wasteful.

The Member for Maryborough said commitment to the $93m project, that included $40m from the Hinkler Regional Deal, was irresponsible and out of touch with what residents needed – which was more jobs and basic council infrastructure.

He said the project, which he dubbed the “Hervey Bay Taj Mahal” was dividing the Fraser Coast, citing numerous areas across the Maryborough region that required urgent council attention.

This is despite the fact that the Hinkler Deal covers the Hinkler electorate of which Maryborough is not a part meaning funding under the deal was not available to the council to spend in the Heritage City.

The new precinct which includes a new Hervey Bay library and council administration centre incorporating a disaster resilience centre will be the anchor to creating a CBD for Hervey Bay.

It does not have ocean views and is instead placed centrally to the university campus and other major projects including a 16-storey residential tower, shopping and entertainment precinct.

Glen Winney, Fraser Coast Property Industry Association president said investment in a project of this scale was the answer to making Hervey Bay a proper city.

President of the Fraser Coast Property Industry Association Glen Winney says Maryborough has industry jobs and a CBD and Hervey Bay’s booming population still needs both.

He said the project would inject the region with thousands of jobs in tourism, construction, retail, and health – the four sectors Hervey Bay relies on heavily.

“We need to understand Maryborough has a solid backbone of industrial jobs, Hervey Bay does not,” he said.

“If we want to stop losing our brightest youth in the future, we need to create a city that is vibrant, appealing- has jobs, restaurants, accommodation, night-life and retail.

“The only way to do that is a vibrant CBD which has thousands of people working in it that makes all these elements work.”

Mr Winney this week acknowledged Mr Saunders’ significant role in securing industrial jobs for Maryborough that had been backed by council’s commitment to infrastructure and property incentive.

He said Maryborough had the good fortune of falling back on the foresight of its forefathers who built high quality buildings to create a Maryborough CBD.

“The world over has quality buildings that people admire and travel to and their residents are proud of.

“Hervey Bay doesn’t have a standout building anywhere or even a CBD called Hervey Bay, and I don’t think we should be afraid of raising the bar and building something our residents will be proud of,” he said.

The project was approved with a strong majority of 9 to 2 at last week’s council meeting following extensive consultation and consideration.

Mayor George Seymour had been opposed, foreshadowing an alternative motion that reduced the scope of the building and the price tag by $20m, while Division 5 Councillor Jade-Lee Wellings praised the project as a catalyst for robust investment that would deliver good economic outcomes.

The FCPIA president said it was more important to make unpopular decisions that were right for the future of the region than side with the easy constituent vote.

“Let’s hope the children and grandchildren of this region look back and say, ‘thank you’ to the current community leaders for changing Hervey Bay into a proper city, just as the forefathers did in Maryborough so many years ago”.