The CBD in Townsville has had a bit of a battering over the last decade or so. Unable to compete with the airconditioned comforts of new suburban shopping centres it has slowly withered with only the more unique stores able to survive. Initiated by the Mooney administration and carried out by Tyrell, the redevelopment of the mall into a slow traffic precinct has seen some optimism return to the area albeit a year or so away from completion.

Lancini’s proposed development has us waiting with baited breath for its sod-turning ceremony but the GFC and Stockland’s acquisition of Myer’s re-entry into the market has put a hold on that saviour. Rumour has it though that negotiations have been entered into with David Jones, which would provide the anchor tenant this development sorely needs.

In the meantime a few gallant souls have forged ahead to make use of vacant space (of which there is plenty) and bring a sense of life back into the mall — much to the relief of cruise ship operators who weigh anchor in our port only for their passengers to walk through what amounts to a cemetery, a dozen market stalls and, now, a massive construction site.

Renew Townsville, an idea borrowed from Newcastle, aims to bring life back into the city by populating the empty shopfronts with unique creative offerings that, in their own right, will become the anchor tenants of the mall while the development proceeds. The shopfronts will be ‘leased’ to the new tenants at a nominal cost on a rolling 30 day lease.

As a member of the creative industries, we here at TBD can not wait to see the gems literally in store for us through the Renew Townsville program.