A pedestrian suspension bridge, new green spaces and a platypus viewing deck are all proposed elements of the stage two draft plans for Queanbeyan CBD improvements set to cost close to $7 million.
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Displayed from April 12 to May 9 as part of the Queanbeyan City Council’s community consultation process, the draft plans focus on attracting visitors to the river foreshore and revitalizing Queen Elizabeth Park and Collett Street.
"It must be said that in its present state, Queen Elizabeth Park is not an attractive place for residents or visitors to frequent and we want to change that perception,” Queanbeyan Mayor, Cr Tim Overall said.
An initial budget of $4.8 million dollars has been assigned to the stage two works, however an additional $2 million is estimated will be needed to engineer the proposed pedestrian suspension bridge straddling the two river fronts.
Final designs for the area are yet to be confirmed but the council considered the project would take 8-10 months to complete and with a start date set for April or May of 2015.
The draft plans, drawn up by consultants Oxigen, see the removal underutilized on-street car parks along Collett St as well as the informal car park in Queen Elizabeth Park.
‘‘We do have underutilised carparks in the immediate vicinity,’’ Cr Overall said.
“Queanbeyan has an abundance of car parking within easy walking distance of the CBD, with eight sizeable, free car parks all within a block of the CBD.’’
As the river front and park lands are the focus on the stage two plans Cr Overall said construction was likely to cause far less traffic disruption to the community than the recently completed upgrades of Crawford Street.
"It's worth noting that these plans are still very much in draft form and Council will give consideration to any submissions received.”
Feedback forms need to be submitted by May 9, 2014 and can be downloaded from www.qcc.nsw.gov.au or collected from the council’s Customer Service Centre at 257 Crawford St in Queanbeyan.