The future of the Cairns CBD rests squarely on the shoulders of the State Government, with business and council leaders demanding to know when the proposed redevelopment of Lake St and bus transit network will begin.

Retailers and community leaders say the State Government should crystallise the groundswell of support for the The Weekend Post’s CBD Revive campaign and announce funding and timeframes for its transit network plan.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads plan, a process that started more than four years ago, recently won a Planning Institute of Australian award for its innovative approach to regional transport issues.

But Cairns Regional Council insiders say the CBD master plan will be stalled unless the State Government provides a clear timeframe and funding for the project.

While opinion is divided about the best use of City Place, most people who have supported the CBD Revive campaign agree the revitalisation of the city’s heart will be determined by the transit network plan.

Support appears equally split between either fixing City Place to retain it as a pedestrian-only mall or opening up Lake St to traffic.

Commercial real estate agent Danny Betros, who helped launch the CBD Revive campaign two weeks ago, said pressure must now be focused on getting answers out of the State
Government.

"We need to take the Department of Transport to task now as they will effectively dictate the timing of any refurbishment in the city centre," he said.

"There are question marks as to whether their traffic plan will benefit CBD
traders.

"The consultants running the new CBD master plan will do very little with respect to City Place or Lake St because of this state government plan hovering overhead without funding or timeframes."

Division 6 councillor Linda Cooper said she had pushed for answers from the State Government but was yet to receive a response.

"I have asked the Department of Transport and Main Roads for formalisation of time frames, funding and project priorities at this week's council meeting.

"However there was no direct response to any of these questions," she said.

"As a council we need to keep the pressure on to get these outstanding issues resolved."

Lake St cafe owner Nick Roberts, who runs the Ever After Cafe at the current Lake St bus terminal, said the transit network plan was being discussed when he signed the lease on his cafe 18 months ago.

"The plans for Lake St have been in the background for almost two years, but I’ve had no communication with council or State Government about what’s happening," he said.

"We would like to have clarity about what’s happening there and it needs to be disclosed how long the redevelopment process will take and what disruption that would have on my business.

"I’m all for the redevelopment and betterment of Cairns but communication between the business owners and the council and State Government needs to happen."

Cairns MP Desley Boyle and Barron River MP Steve Wettenhall both support the transit network plan and believe it will help bring life back to the CBD.

"I have been lobbying my colleagues for significant money in the 2011-12 Budget to get the transit network project in Lake St under way," Ms Boyle said.

"If I am successful this would be a considerable benefit to council as it would mean the State Government would substantially foot the bill for enormous improvements to Lake St and that would free up Council's budget allocation for other areas within the CBD."

"It would mean that Lake St for the two blocks from Spence to Aplin St gets a huge facelift and would involve extensive works not only to the roadway but also to pavements, lighting, seating, landscaping and City Place."

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