Pialba land purchased for new Council facilities
A new Hervey Bay library and cultural facility will be built in Main Street in Pialba while land in Hillyard Street has been earmarked as the site of a future Fraser Coast Regional Council administration centre and possible hotel development.
CEO Ken Diehm revealed Council had finalised the purchase of two sites at 23 Main Street and 7 – 19 Hillyard Street in Pialba for a total of $5.85 million as part of plans to revitalise and redevelop Hervey Bay’s CBD.
Mr Diehm said new libraries were needed in Hervey Bay and Maryborough as the current buildings did not have enough space to meet the needs of the region’s growing population.
“The site Council has purchased in Main Street in Pialba for a future library and cultural facility is strategically located and will allow for the creation of a centralised cultural hub,” he said.
“We want the Pialba CBD to be the city’s primary destination for commercial activity, cultural engagement, education and social recreation, and the establishment of a new library/cultural facility and a new administration centre into the future will help achieve that goal.”
Mr Diehm said the development of new administration centres in both Hervey Bay and Maryborough would act as a catalyst for further economic development and business investment on the Fraser Coast.
“Shifting Council’s administration centre from its current overcrowded site at Torquay into the CBD at Pialba was identified as a priority in the 2015 Hervey Bay CBD Urban Renewal Master Plan and has been supported as part of the Federal Government’s Hinkler Regional Deal,” he said.
“The administration centre site at Hillyard Street could be used for multiple purposes.
“Council is looking to establish a Local Disaster Co-ordination Centre within the building and will explore opportunities for a joint venture partner to establish a high quality hotel and/or commercial spaces as part of the overall site development.”
Mr Diehm said the Hervey Bay CBD Master Plan developed in 2015 would now be updated to take into account the sites identified for the new library/cultural facility and the new administration centre, as well as the proposed expansion of the University of Sunshine Coast campus.
“There is a lot of detailed planning to do before any design and construction work occurs at these sites, including around issues such as traffic flow and pedestrian connectivity,” he said.
“Buying this land in Pialba is just one step in a long process that could take several years to finalise, but it is an important step towards delivering major projects that will help revitalise our CBD.”
In addition to buying land in Hervey Bay, Council has invited tenders for the development of a new Maryborough administration building after the existing building in Kent Street was found to have reached the end of its working life and needed to be demolished.
“We are committed to maintaining a major presence in the Maryborough CBD and are looking at a range of options including rebuilding on the current site and incorporating a new Maryborough library in the building,” Mr Diehm said.