Toowoomba Railway Parklands project to be included in Southeast Queensland City Deal

A $65m CBD parklands precinct has been included in the list of projects in the upcoming Southeast Queensland City Deal. How’s how the legacy project will look.

Flyover concept shots of the upcoming $60m Toowoomba Railway Parklands project in the CBD.

A 30-year dream to transform nearly nine hectares of railyards in the Toowoomba CBD into a lush green space rivalling Queens Park has taken a big step to fruition.

The $65m Toowoomba Railway Parklands precinct has been included in the list of projects in the upcoming Southeast Queensland City Deal, which is currently being brokered between local councils as well as the State and Federal Governments.

The centrepiece of the massive development precinct is the Railway Parklands, an 8.6-hectare space that would be double the size of Laurel Bank Park once finished.

This vision was encapsulated in an ambitious flyover concept video of the parklands, released by the Toowoomba Regional Council in July.

Groom MP Garth Hamilton confirmed the good news on Tuesday, with the inclusion to ensure Toowoomba gets a slice of the multi-billion deal designed to improve liveability in one of the fastest-growing areas in Australia.

FAST-TRACKED: Celebrating the inclusion of the Toowoomba Railway Parklands project in the upcoming Southeast Queensland City Deal are (from left) Mayor Paul Antonio, Groom MP Garth Hamilton and Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Rohl.

“There was a period where Toowoomba was going to miss out on it, but we had the opportunity to get involved,” he said.

“City deals are now about liveability in city centres, so working with the mayor and the Chamber of Commerce we were able to come up with this great project that will increase liveability.

“It will be great for jobs and housing and will put a garden right in the middle of the Garden City.”

It is also understood the Federal Government is prepared to give an undisclosed amount of funding to the project, something that was welcomed by Mayor Paul Antonio.

“I’m delighted to know the Commonwealth Government is interested in our Railway Parklands project,” he said.

“The parklands will ultimately be an iconic centre to the Toowoomba city area — it would supplement the beautiful gardens we already have.

“We’re delighted this is on the table, and we’re delighted to hear that there’s a proposition coming forward from the Federal Government to help fund it.”

FLYOVER: New concept video has been released for the $65m Railway Parklands project in the Toowoomba CBD.

The concept was originally devised by the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce more than three decades ago.

Current chamber CEO Todd Rohl said the parklands would be a major boost to the CBD as well as local businesses.

“We see it as a game-changer for the city centre, which will further activate the CBD,” he said.

All projects in the City Deal still need to be signed off by the State Government.

The first stage of the Toowoomba Railway Parklands is expected to cost between $20-30m.