Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) federal candidate, Clynton Hawks, has said he would work with Townsville City Council to help reclaim the city’s CBD for businesses, shoppers and tourists if elected in the upcoming federal election.

Mr Hawks, who is running in the seat of Herbert, has a said a focus of his campaign will be talking with stakeholders, business owners and council about how to bring life back to the city’s CBD.

“The Townsville CBD is an eye-sore,” Mr Hawks said.

“Burnt out and deserted shop fronts, empty streets and little to no foot traffic for shops even at weekends, it’s a very sad and sorry place to be,” Mr Hawks said.

Mr Hawks said a bold vision for the CBD is needed to “bring people back to the CBD zone.”

Mr Hawks said revitalization is not enough, and said current plans for turning the zone around seem more focused on buffing rents for commercial real estate owners and urban gentrification, rather than on creating public spaces for families to gather.

“The revitalization of the CBD needs to put people first, not income for property owners or revenue generation for council,” Mr Hawks said.

Mr Hawks said free parking in the CBD should be the cornerstone of a reclaiming of the CBD, at odds with Council’s current plans to lock-in parking fees for visitors to the zone. [1]

“In terms of retail, the CBD is competing with the Domain or Stockland or Castletown where you can freely park your car under a shade or in the garage and wander into an airconditioned space,” Mr Hawks said.

“Presently, the CBD offers very little or any reason for anyone to go there unless you need a lawyer or possibly an architect,” Mr Hawks said.

“Council is shooting itself in the foot by charging parking fees, and really stymies any incentive for retailers to set up there and shoppers and visitors to go there,” Mr Hawks said.

“Going into the CBD when you have 40 or 50 parking spaces to choose from and then paying a fee to park there should tell you something is wrong with this picture,” Mr Hawks said.

Mr Hawks said the fact that activities like the Sunday markets don’t generate a lot of foot traffic is indicative of a failure of leaders and policy-makers to address the deep-seated issues plaguing the CBD.

Mr Hawks said that a plan to reclaim the CBD would need to include a way to provide suitable spaces for the city’s homeless population.

[1] https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/council-declines-to-detail-cost-of-citys-new-smart-parking-meters/news-story/bc6859a0c3b5b4c20d65ed5f61211a56