Townsville building owners are being encouraged to apply for one of the Council’s most popular grants to refresh, modernise or upgrade buildings in Townsville City.
The Modernising Buildings Grant, which is component 2 of Council’s City Activation and Housing Incentive Policy – in its third year, is set to close to applications at the end of the month.
The iconic Speckled Hen Antiques, located on 297 Flinders St applied for the grant in 2023, which saw the 146-year-old building undergo works to revive the façade.
The Speckled Hen Antiques owner, Ian Fleming said the grant was a terrific opportunity for Council and building owners to work together to revive the city’s streetscape.
“There are plenty of buildings that provide real value to the streetscape of Townsville, so it makes good sense that there is assistance from Council to be able to refresh, modernise or upgrade these existing buildings,” Mr Fleming said.
“Many of these older buildings that have taken up the grant fall under the guise of Heritage listing which can make things very expensive, so we appreciate the Council working with us.
“Built in 1878, there is always something to be done, but the grant assisted us in reviving the façade of the building with some new roofing, guttering, iron work and some touch-up painting.”
Division 3 Councillor Ann-Maree Greaney said the Modernising Buildings grant saw Council match dollar-for-dollar investment up to $30,000 for eligible projects.
“Over the last three years, we have seen more than 30 buildings take up the grant, assisting in the revival of some of our city’s most dilapidated properties, such as the greasy building, the Empire Hotel and the building that now houses Papa Christos deli on Stokes St,” Councillor Greaney said.
“The Modernising Buildings Grant which is component 2 of our City Activation and Housing Incentives Policy is our most successful grant, with each year Council having more applications than budget. A competitive process has been put in place due to the high demand for this component.
“We’re passionate about activating our city streets and love seeing building owners invest in our city’s attractiveness, vibrancy and safety.
“The grant has been extremely successful in recent years, and we’d love to see more building owners get their applications in for consideration.”
The grant is just one element of Council’s City Activation and Housing Incentives Policy, with Component 1 waiving charges for infill housing and Component 3 supporting employment generating developments through waivers of infrastructure charges.
Applications for component 2 – The Modernising Buildings Grant closes 31 August 2024, components 1 and 3 remain open until 30 June 2025.
