18 December 2020
Maryvale tourist and cultural hub on track for revival
Maryvale is on track to become home to a unique cultural and heritage space after Southern Downs Regional Council voted at this week’s Ordinary Meeting to continue working with the community on the Maryvale Railway Reserve Masterplan with support from local resources.
The project to re-establish the Maryvale Railway Reserve was originally discussed as part of the Maryvale Urban Development Framework (UDF) consultation, with the final UDF plan being endorsed by Council in January 2019. Throughout the process, the Maryvale community advocated to regenerate the reserve as the premier recreational precinct within the township.
The masterplan will take shape over four stages and the proposed key features include:
· A small community building to help facilitate community groups and to act as on-site storage to enable event and site activations
· Event space and stage to host music events and live theatre
· A short term caravan accommodation area with associated public amenities and septic dump point
· Railway themed playground
· Path network for walkers and bike riders through the passive open space areas and connecting to the various key reserve features
· A community nursery, which will sustainably propagate native flora to be planted on site
Southern Downs Councillor and avid Maryvale supporter Sheryl Windle is looking forward to ongoing conversations with the Maryvale community to deliver the dream for their township.
“The Maryvale community is jumping with joy to see the masterplan realised,” Councillor Windle said.
“They have been waiting a long time and have never lost sight of what they wanted to achieve for their community.
“This is a great example of how a community can work with Council to bring cultural projects to fruition.”
In April 2020, using Works 4 Queensland funding, Council engaged Dunn and Moran Landscape Architects to develop the Maryvale Railway Reserve Masterplan with the key objective of creating a place unique to Maryvale that highlights its cultural heritage and establishes a community destination for locals and visitors.
This masterplan was to further explore the community interest in the project, establish goals and themes of the reserve and to guide future improvement and development over the 15 acres of open space area in Maryvale.
The masterplan plan was endorsed following community consultation workshops held in Maryvale in May and August 2020.