How to make the CBD the next in-demand residential address is the focus of a six-month project being rolled out by Council.
The Cairns City Precincts Urban Regeneration Project aims to stimulate infill CBD housing through targeted planning that takes into account wide ranging issues that impact liveability, including:
- quality public spaces
- urban canopy
- resilience and hazard mitigation
- improving connectivity, walkability
- economic and social vibrancy
- chances to reflect the community's diversity.
It will deliver a vision for the CBD and two neighbouring precincts – the Major Events Centre (Barlow Park and Cairns Showgrounds) and the health precinct (Cairns Hospital and JCU Health and Innovation Precinct), including a roadmap of costed projects and policy recommendations.
There is strong alignment with work underway across Council, including Major Events Precinct master planning, Towards 2050 and City Centre masterplan initiatives.
Council has awarded SMEC Australia the $448,000 contract to lead and coordinate the preparation and delivery of the Cairns City Precincts Urban Regeneration Project, fully funded by the Australian Governments Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication and the Arts under the Housing Support Program – Stream 1.
This project compliments Council's existing efforts to provide additional housing in the CBD through the development and incentives policy, which waives headworks charges for high quality infill development in targeted areas.
