Have your say on design for Maryborough CBD space
Fraser Coast residents are encouraged to have their say on a draft design for the Maryborough CBD’s newest community space.
Fraser Coast Regional Council CEO Ken Diehm said a draft masterplan had been prepared to guide the future development of the old Council administration building site in Maryborough that is now green space.
“Council endorsed the draft masterplan to go out for community engagement, and now is the opportunity for local residents to let us know what they think about the designs and ideas proposed for this area in Kent Street,” he said.
“At the same time, Council is also now seeking expressions of interest from groups or individuals wanting to lease the former Maryborough Baby Clinic.
“Both this building and the green space beside it provide a fantastic opportunity to create a vibrant community space in a strategic Maryborough CBD location.
“The overarching vision is to create an integrated civic precinct that respects the historical significance of the site while also providing a connected, functional and flexible community space.”
A copy of the draft masterplan and an online survey is available on Council’s Engagement Hub website at https://frasercoast.engagementhub.com.au/mb-admin-site-masterplan
Community consultation is open today (Monday 4 March) through to Monday 1 April 2024.
Council staff will have a pop-up engagement stall outside Maryborough City Hall during the Maryborough Markets on Thursdays throughout March with hard copies of the draft masterplan and survey forms. Please note that printed surveys are due in by Thursday 28 March 2024.
Groups or individuals wanting more information about leasing the former Maryborough Baby Clinic site and lodging an expression of interest should contact Council’s Customer Service team on 1300 79 49 29 or email enquiry@frasercoast.qld.gov.au
Mr Diehm said there were a range of interesting ideas put forward in the draft master plan including using the exposed brick wall on the School of Arts building as a movie screening wall or large projection surface.
“Custom-designed pergolas are proposed over sections of a walkway to provide protection from the weather, and this would be supplemented with the planting of native vines and shade trees such as Maryborough’s iconic tree – the scarlet bottlebrush,” he said.
“There are also proposals for art and sculpture within the site to reflect the history and importance of the space and surrounding buildings.
“Recognition of the former baby clinic could be celebrated with a statue of a nurse, mother and baby or with sculptural bicycle racks.
“There has been a lot of work carried out in recent years to revitalise the Maryborough CBD and this new masterplan provides an opportunity to build on that good work to ensure this is an active and attractive area.
“Council is keen to create connected, inclusive communities and spaces and that’s what this draft masterplan seeks to achieve.”
A report outlining the feedback from the community engagement process will be prepared in the coming months for Council’s consideration.
The green space was created after an independent engineering report found that the former Fraser Coast Regional Council building at 431 Kent Street had reached the end of its working life and had to be demolished.
The former Maryborough Baby Clinic was built in 1924 and continued to serve the community until its closure in the 1990s. It was bought by Council in 2020 and listed on the Queensland State Heritage Register that year.
It is currently vacant with an estimated $500,000 in interior remediation work required to make the building suitable for public activation.