New Look For Fitzroy Street

20150411 Fitzroy Street — The northern end of Nanango’s Fitzroy Street with the new pedestrian crossings

SBRC Mayor Wayne Kratzmann — South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann (Photo: SBRC)

April 15, 2015

The northern end of Fitzroy Street between Drayton and Elk streets in Nanango has taken on a new look after Council work crews finished streetscaping work there this week.

The section has three new pedestrian crossings with build-outs and bench seating, a tree-lined median strip and extra parking bays for shoppers.

The work is the first stage of the Drayton and Fitzroy streets CBD upgrade.

Council road crews began working on the section on March 25, replacing ageing and cracked pedestrian crossings and refurbishing the median strips to “calm” the area.

The upgrade involved some temporary road closures but these have now ended and traffic flow has returned to normal.

Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said today he was very proud of the CBD upgrade which would see Nanango “come of age as a wonderful historic town” when the project was completed in September.

The Mayor said he also wanted to dispel some rumours circulating in Nanango about the upgrade.

“The two laneways between Henry and Drayton streets – Litle Drayton and Alexander – will be one-way as agreed to by neighbouring businesses,” he said.

“But the two laneways between Fitzroy and Gipps streets – Howlett and Palace lanes – will remain two-way.

“And new angled parking bays which are about to be introduced in Drayton Street will be normal nose-in angled parking, not reverse angle parking.”

The Mayor agreed the CBD upgrade would mean some loss of parking in Drayton Street but he said this was inevitable because of Main Roads’ rules after traffic lights were installed at the Henry Street intersection.

However, he said the overall number of parking bays in the CBD area would rise from 146 to 160 thanks to the extension of centre parking on the southern end of Fitzroy Street opposite Flemings garage, and last year’s upgrade to the Scott Car Park.

“There should always be plenty of parking for shoppers in the CBD if traders encourage their staff to park away from Drayton, Henry and Fitzroy streets,” Mayor Kratzmann said.

The Mayor acknowledged there had been delays in the project but said some were beyond the Council’s control.

These included the installation of the Drayton Street traffic lights, the long wait to get approval for a roundabout at the junction of Fitzroy and Drayton streets, the need to repair 60-year-old underground infrastructure in Drayton Street and termite damage to a CBD shop.

But he strongly disagreed with anyone who claimed there had been no consultation on the project.

“After the initial consultation undertaken with a static display of the plans in the CBD manned by Council staff and Cr Barry Green, all businesses in Drayton Street were invited to a meeting at the Cultural Centre in January which was well attended,” he said.

“Since that time I have personally visited all businesses who requested a meeting, and I’m more than happy to meet any business owner onsite.”

The Mayor said he had received very positive feedback about the work already undertaken in Henry Street, and the most common question he was asked was when similar work would be undertaken in Kingaroy.

“The aim of this project is to revitalise Nanango’s CBD,” he said.

“We want to encourage more businesses to set up in Nanango, to create more shopping options for residents and more jobs for their children.

“So while there will be a few annoyances as the work is carried out, I’m hopeful that in a few years time once the trees have grown and the gardens bush out, everyone will look back and say it was one of the best things that ever happened to Nanango.”

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