Wide range of shops and critical services planned as Rocky “splits” and northern corridor expands

Residents on the expanding northern corridor are “screaming” out for shops and critical services, but a master plan process could bring businesses to the table.

The development site plan for 392 lots at Mildura Rise Estate near Rockhampton.

The rapid development of the Rockhampton/Livingstone Shire northern urban corridor will spark a new town centre, supporting businesses and a range of critical services.

That’s the vision of Procon Development’s boss Leon Tey who believes his newly approved 392 lot Mildura Rise Estate on the Bruce Highway will kick-off the commercial buy-in as the corridor expands.

Mr Tey told a Livingstone Shire Council meeting that the residential estates north of Parkhurst in the northern corridor (including Rockview, Glenlee, Glendale) were currently starved of shops and services.

“Everything they need, want or require they need to drive 15 to 20 minutes south and then come back,” he said.

“You can stand there in the mornings and watch the exodus of traffic going south.”

This map shows the location of the newly approved 393 lot Mildura Rise Estate surrounded by Glendale, Rockyview and Glenlee suburbs. The black line is the Bruce Highway.

Cr Rhodes Watson agreed.

“At your end, where you’re building, they are screaming out for those facilities, “ he said.

Mr Tey said change was coming to answer those demands and Mildura Rise would become “almost the first domino” in urbanising and opening up the northern corridor.

He said Procon would master plan the commercial placement and rollout in conjunction with council.

“We are going to deliver the infrastructure , the job creating commercial opportunities,‘” he said.

“This (northern corridor commercial growth) is going to build out to where people no longer need to leave the Glenee, Glendale, Rockyview precinct to do their jobs, buy their groceries, go to the pub, do whatever.

“We will get this right but we’ll do it in a way that opens it up to future development as well.”

A locality plan for the 392-lot Mildura Rise Estate at Rockyview.

He said one of the critical elements in the evolution will be the $1.7bn Rockhampton Ring Road on the Bruce Highway which starts just south of Parkhurst, and is expected to be finished by the end of 2030.

“This corridor is naturally going to be bordered once the bypass is done,“ he said.

“The same has happened in Townsville and other locations, once the bypass goes in you create two separate communities and the Rockyview precinct is going to become a critical town centre.”

A map of the Rockhampton Ring Road from the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

He said Procon had good business relationships through decades of large and successful commercial projects working with Coles, Woolworths, franchises such as Gloria Jeans coffee and Coffee Club as well as childcare centres, fuel stations and large-scale health providers.

“All the services you want to see in this community are on the table,“ he said.

”When we sit down in the next round of development applications we are almost going to be coming in with a blank canvas and sitting down with the (council town planning) team saying ‘let’s work out what we need and work out where to place them and design it accordingly’.

The service station at the Parkhurst Town Centre is the closest to the Glendale Estate, 11km away north on the Bruce Highway northern corridor.

Mr Key said in regards to the northern corridor becoming urbanised the key service to be provided was sewer (LSC has already committed to supplying potable water for the estate).

He said Mildura Rise could hook up to the Rockhampton Region’s sewerage system but his company was currently exploring the potential for introducing a water recovery system that if viable could create “infrastructure independence” for Livingstone as the corridor develops.

In the meantime, Procon has started off-site preparation works with engineering etc as it moves to develop lots and release estate stages as soon as possible.

Livingstone Shire Council has been approached for comment.

Originally published as Wide range of shops and critical services planned as Rocky “splits” and northern corridor expands