The project was paused in November 2025 to allow council to reassess its scope amid concerns about community support and the redevelopment’s estimated cost.
At the time, Mayor John Harvie said support for the project “may not be sufficient” to justify delivering the remainder of the project.
However, councillors voted at June’s council meeting to proceed with the detailed design phase.
Council chief executive Stacy Williams said councillors had since revisited the project.
“Since that time, councillors have undertaken a site walk-through and participated in a formal workshop to revisit the project, review the existing streetscape and consider the broader project background, objectives and constraints,” she said.
“Following that process, council determined there was merit in progressing the detailed design phase.”
Council's existing contract with design consultant Spiire Australia Pty Ltd was a significant factor in the decision.
Abandoning the project would have resulted in the loss of $1.147 million already invested in planning and design work.
With the project now resuming, Spiire will move ahead with finalising construction-ready documentation and addressing identified safety and infrastructure constraints within the township.
Council will also receive a completed design package that can be used to support future funding applications and guide future decision-making.
While an accurate cost estimate depends on the completion of the detailed design, previous estimates have placed the project’s cost between $22 million and $25 million.
Although the final designs were originally expected mid-2026, Ms Williams acknowledged the seven-month pause had affected the project’s timeline
“The pause has had some impact on the overall timeline,” she said.
“That said, council and the design consultant are now working closely to progress the remaining design elements and finalise the documentation as soon as practicable.”
Once the detailed designs are completed, they will be released for public viewing.
A construction timeline will then be developed, subject to funding availability and council’s planned staged delivery approach.
Previous design works and concepts can be viewed at tinyurl.com/425nsd5u
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