Toowoomba council scraps Bridge Street redevelopment advisory committee as Kerry Shine says project ‘on hold’

The future of the long-discussed Quarry Gardens project appears to be in doubt after the Toowoomba council disbanded the advisory committee attached to it - a move advocates have called “disappointing”.

Councillor Kerry Shine during a council meeting to discuss the future of Toowoomba City Aerodrome (also know as Toowoomba Airport), Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The deputy-chair of the now-disbanded advisory committee aimed at progressing the Quarry Gardens project has taken aim at the Toowoomba Regional Council, calling it “disappointing but unsurprising”.

Councillors on Tuesday endorsed a complete reworking of its committees and working groups as part of sweeping reforms to its structures, taking the hatchet to the Bridge Street Quarry Development advisory committee along with other bodies.

Ex-chair and major proponent councillor Kerry Shine said the project was now “on hold” given neither council or the state government had provided funding.

The gardens, which would see the old site off Bridge Street transformed into a unique botanical tourist attraction in the style of Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Quarry Gardens, appears to have become a victim of the council’s financial crunch thanks to the $270m Cressbrook Dam safety upgrades.

The disbanding of the committee was news to Friends of the Quarry Gardens chair Sarah Delahunty, who was only informed when News Corp reached her for comment.

“It’s disappointing but unsurprising that this is the way the deputy chair has been told,” she said.

“These committee members give up their time and are trying to get an outcome for the community, so it’s quite disappointing the council has this decision to disband this committee.

“It’s telling, that’s what it is.”

The project, which has been discussed for the best part of 30 years, was moved forward in 2017 following a $300,000 funding deal from the state government towards a feasibility study.

The committee was formed in 2020, before more than $3m in funding was allocated for the redevelopment as part of the council’s pandemic response capital works program.

This was scaled back after failing to secure a state government grant, with only initial rehabilitation and safety works ultimately completed in the previous term.

Sarah Delahunty is the Chair of the Friends of the Quarry Garden in Toowoomba. Pics Adam Head

Ms Delahunty said the TRC knew what was required to get the site ready for a major tourist attraction.

“There is funding available, what it needs is council to make a decision to rehabilitate the quarry — that has been known for several years,” she said.

“They made it safe by putting a fence around it, but they do have to rehabilitate it so there has been money spent on concept plans.

“We wanted to capitalise on the Olympics coming, because this has had known tourism potential.”

Toowoomba City Council had created a masterplan to redevelop the Bridge Street quarry into a garden precinct.

Mr Shine, who has been a major advocate of the Quarry Gardens since he was elected in 2020, conceded there might not be movement on the project before the end of his political career.

“It just puts it on hold rather than abandoning it. There has been serious work in terms of studies, but there’s a lot more works to do with rehabilitation. In order to get it shovel-ready, it has to be shovel-ready.

“This is just not the time because of our financial constraints — I am an advocate of it but I’m also a realist and if you don’t have the numbers (around the boardroom), there’s not much point.

“From my point of view it is a very important project, it will become a year-round tourist attraction but looking around the chamber, I doubt they would give this a priority.”

Ms Delahunty said she still held hope for the Quarry Gardens, but its future depended on the councillors.