Revealed: Why $50m development for Flinders St rail yards got scrapped
The derelict old North Rail Yard buildings on Townsville’s iconic Flinders St have been left to rust after a $50 million new technology precinct slated for the site was unexpectedly scrapped.
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THE derelict old North Rail Yard buildings on Townsville’s iconic Flinders St have been left to rust after a $50 million new technology precinct slated for the site was unexpectedly scrapped.
The Townsville Bulletin can exclusively reveal that the Townsville Technology Precinct — an IT software development centre expected to cost $50m — planned for the old rail yards fronting Ross Creek will no longer be going ahead.
The historic railway workshops, which were established in the 1880s, have remained vacant since their closure in 1990, and Townsville City Council purchased the 4.5ha site from Queensland Rail in 2015.
In 2019, council began a public tender process to redevelop the heritage-listed site and revealed in August of the same year it would be turned into the Townsville Technology Precinct.
The project was expected to be a joint venture between Projects & Infrastructure Group and Conrad Gargett Architecture, with Townsville-based software company Code Valley named as the precinct’s anchor tenant.
However, due to the impact of COVID-19, the Townsville Technology Precinct was unable to continue with those plans and the $50 million project was quietly called off in about 2020.
Despite this major setback, a council spokeswoman said they are continuing to develop plans for the site, which is located within precinct one of its Waterfront Priority Development Area.
While there is no word yet on what kind of development council is looking for to replace the technology precinct with, leaders in Townsville’s business community are chiming in.
Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith believes the site would be a prime spot for things like apartment buildings.
“While the decision on how to best utilise the old railyard site sits solely with Townsville City Council, we can see good value in using any suitable inner-city land for higher density housing developments to help address the longer-term impacts of the housing shortage we are seeing across the region,” she said.
“Until we resolve this shortage, we are going to have trouble bringing people with the skills and training we need to continue to grow our economy.
“Programs like the Designated Area Migration Agreement that we secured for North Queensland prior to the federal election won’t be able to be fully exploited until reliable, affordable housing options are secured.”
Master Builders North Queensland regional manager Emma Peters said there are many viable options to consider for the prime Flinders St site.
“We recently welcomed a Queensland Budget that recognises the importance of new infrastructure for our growing state – and the same goes for Townsville,” she said.
“There are plenty of opportunities here for council to carefully consider the site and what is needed by the local community.
“Rental vacancy remains a hot issue in the region, and we also need to ensure we are building the housing, schools and hospitals that Queenslanders need.”
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