December 20, 2021
South Burnett Regional Council will spend $750,000 next year to build the first stage of a new CBD car park in George Street, Kingaroy.
The car park will replace the 99 parking spaces that will be lost due to the Kingaroy Transformation Project (KTP), providing off-street parking for CBD workers, tourists and shoppers.
The money to build the car park will come from Council’s 2021-22 Local Roads and Community Infrastructure grant funding.
In May this year, the Council received $1.6 million as its share of this federally funded, $500 million program.
The motion to build the car park in 2022 was made by Deputy Mayor Gavin Jones and seconded by Cr Roz Frohloff at December’s General Meeting.
An amended motion proposed by Cr Kathy Duff, seconded by Mayor Brett Otto, suggesting the project be postponed until 2023 was supported by Cr Scott Henschen.
However, this amendment failed when put to a vote and the original motion to design and build the project in the 2022 calendar year was carried four votes to three, with Crs Duff, Otto and Henschen opposed.
The new car park will occupy former railway land behind Haly Street’s shops and connect with an existing car park in King Street.
While the final format of the car park will not be known until Councillors approve a design, it is expected it will incorporate a trail head for the South Burnett Rail Trail and complete the unsealed section of the rail trail running between O’Neill Square and Youngman Street.
The car park will also provide parking bays for a range of vehicle configurations, including RVs and campervans; offer shaded areas to protect parked vehicles from excessive sun exposure; and will be monitored by CCTV security cameras.
Related articles:
- Council Ups Car Park Loss Again
- Where KTP Car Parks Will Be Lost
- KTP Slashes Glendon Street Car Parks
- Kingaroy CBD To Lose 91 Car Parks
This initiative is an extension of the Kingaroy Transformation Project and I’ve been waiting for this announcement. Personally, I’m very happy to see the provision for new parking go ahead. This is where business owners and employees should park their cars each day rather than use car parks in the main shopping areas, which should be reserved for customers.
The Kingaroy Transformation Project is well on the way to giving a new heart to the CBD, and the work done so far deserves to be commended.