The revitalisation of Mackay's waterfront and city centre have taken another major step forward with the Palaszczuk Government approving Mackay Regional Council's proposed development scheme for the Priority Development Area (PDA).
Member for Mackay and Assistant Minister for State Development Julieanne Gilbert said the PDA will enable council to realise its vision to transform the city's waterfront and CBD precincts, for the benefit of the community.
"The approval of the development scheme will be a catalyst for the rejuvenation of the five precincts in the PDA: Mackay City Centre, Riverside, Enterprise, Queens Park and Beachside," Ms Gilbert said.
"It will improve the city and the region's liveability, create jobs and boost investment confidence in Mackay.
"It will also result in greater pedestrian and cycling access, encouraging convenient and safe active travel between precincts, attractions and facilities.
"Public feedback has proven vital for shaping the proposed development scheme, and I thank the people of Mackay for engaging with this work and helping government deliver on what the community wants."
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, Cameron Dick said the project is a great example of state and local governments working productively together.
"The PDA is about delivering better business opportunities and boosting tourism for the Mackay region," Mr Dick said.
"These outcomes are going to underpin construction jobs and ongoing tourism jobs into the future."
Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said it was fantastic to see the Mackay Waterfront project reach another significant milestone.
"The development scheme is critical to inform council's public realm investment," Mr Williamson said.
"The identification of public realm investment is a significant catalyst to attract private investment and it is the private investment in our PDA that will deliver us the boost to our regional economy and the contribution to our region's liveability that we are all seeking.
"The five precincts of the PDA offer a huge range of development and investment opportunities and, with the adoption of the development scheme, we now have the green light to be able to meet with parties interested in developing and investing within the PDA.
"Our PDA Advisory Committee, which has external experts, is very excited about this critical milestone achievement."
Council received 21 written public submissions, and as a result of issues raised a variety of amendments were made to the development scheme.
The amendments relate to minor increases in building heights, from eight storeys to 10 storeys in the Riverside precinct, and extra criteria, such as minimising overlooking and overshadowing, to ensure residential privacy is maintained.
The Mackay Waterfront PDA spans approximately 172 hectares and includes the southern side of the Pioneer River, the CBD, and water frontage along Binnington Esplanade (Town Beach).
All new development applications will be assessed against the PDA development scheme by Mackay Regional Council.
