Bowen beachfront block to remain vacant as sale falls through

Plans for a new Bowen Rail Company office that would have employed an extra 50 staff have seemingly been deferred.

An empty lot in Bowen was to be transformed in an office space for the Bowen Rail Company. Picture: Elyse Wurm

Mining giant Bravus has halted plans to revive a vacant block of council land in the heart of Bowen in a decision that has disappointed the local business community,

Whitsunday Regional Council in October last year approved the sale of a 1.017ha block at 9D Dalrymple Street to Bravus, formerly Adani.

The plan was to build a new office and control centre for subsidiary Bowen Rail Company.

The new building was designed to replace the rail company’s “temporary” office on Williams Street, a spokesman said ahead of the approval.

But Bowen Chamber of Commerce chairman Bruce Hedditch said the $710,000 sale was no longer going ahead as planned, and the community had not been given a satisfactory explanation.

“We’ve been told it’s now on hold so they can concentrate on getting a new rail line completed and get the [Carmichael coal] mine operating as soon as possible,” Mr Hedditch said.

“But I’m not sure about that; I’m still trying to find out the real reason.”

Mr Hedditch said it was a disappointing outcome for Bowen, where the CBD has been “steadily declining” over the past five to 10 years.

“It would have been kudos for Bowen; it would have shown there’s things happening here,” he said.

Public records showed the council still owned the land and it was not being advertised for sale.

A Bowen Rail Company spokeswoman said: “We do not discuss detailed commercial matters, and there are no commercial discussions regarding land currently occurring with council at this time.”

The spokeswoman said the company would continue to be based in Bowen, and would be “a substantial economic contributor in the local community for the long term,”.

The council was contacted for comment.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story said the Bowen Rail Company’s plans to develop an office at 9D Dalrymple Street would have created 50 jobs. That was incorrect. Bowen Rail Company is in the process of recruiting more than 50 people in Bowen and a spokeswoman said plans for the block of land would not change that.

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Originally published as Bowen beachfront block to remain vacant as sale falls through