Revitalising the Townsville CBD

Revitalising the Townsville CBDLast Friday, the Property Council held its first Townsville lunch for 2016. Featuring a keynote presentation from the Property Council’s Hunter Regional Director, Andrew Fletcher, Newcastle’s journey of revitalisation helped set the scene for a discussion on the future of the Townsville CBD. Andrew provided the audience with a snapshot of Newcastle’s recent successes, but along with it, he also articulated what is needed from the whole community in order to deliver on a city’s vision. Four key messages were delivered:Pick game changersUnderpin policy with researchBuild consensus creatively, andStay on mission.A lively panel discussion followed Andrew’s presentation, featuring Moya Steele- Partner, MacDonnells Law, Carolyn McManus- Director, McManus Group, and Graeme Bolton- Planning Director, Townsville City Council With numerous questions from the floor, the panel explored issues such as developing a clear vision for the city centre, building consensus among stakeholders, targeting development opportunities, and how to finance the city’s vision for the future. Over lunch, guests were challenged by event sponsors, MacDonnells Law, to complete a timber puzzle that involved working together as a team to piece together the construction clues. Congratulations to Table 7, who all received a $20 Ribs and Rumps voucher for their efforts (kindly donated by McManus Group). The Property Council would like to thank all of the speakers who participated in the event, MacDonnells Law for their sponsorship of the luncheon, and WT Partnership for their sponsorship of the post-event networking drinks. Photos of the event can be found here.Event sponsor