Cairns City Centre Master Plan 2019

In 2016, the Cairns Regional Council commissioned a Master Plan Review of the current controls that influence design and development. This review focused on the much-loved Esplanade Parkland master-planned in 2001, and the 2011 City Centre Master Plan which helped in revitalising the city’s important central business precinct at Lake and Shields streets.

As Cairns continued to evolve, and population and tourist numbers grew year by year, it was seen as imperative to create a new City Centre Master Plan to guide the future of the city’s public spaces. This master plan reflects Council’s Corporate Plan 2017-2022 and the community’s values and aspirations for their city.

These values and aspirations are expressed through a series of guiding principles that would shape the future direction of the Cairns CBD.

We identified five project opportunities that respond to the changing shape of the city centre and deliver on the guiding principles as the major steps in the development of a new master plan; The Cairns Gallery Precinct, a renewed Esplanade Dining Precinct, Esplanade Parklands, Florence Street Gateway and City Streets Project.

This City Centre Master Plan sets the direction for a future Cairns city centre – one where public spaces embrace the unique Cairns lifestyle and iconic natural assets while supporting a sense of community and furthering economic prosperity.