The Nambour Heritage Tramway project and live music venues were the keys to reinvigorating the former sugar town’s CBD, according to Reimagine Nambour facilitator Kerry Brown.

Ms Brown said the Tramway project and Special Entertainment Precinct zoning would give Nambour CBD exciting points of difference, and encourage locals and tourists in to town by day and night.

Ms Brown said there was a growing sense Nambour was on the cusp of a prosperous new era and she longed to see it live up to its full potential.

“I grew up in Nambour when it was the centre of the Universe,” Ms Brown said. “It was the golden mile. But times change and people, and even towns, have to adapt. And there’s no doubt that Nambour will adapt because it has so much heart and soul. The people are wonderful. The will is there. And all it needs is a spark.

“Nambour lends itself naturally to being a Special Entertainment Precinct because we don’t have houses in the CBD, so there’s no noise concerns,” Ms Brown said.

“It’s about making the town vibrant again — live performances, restaurants, night life, tappas bars — so people can come and enjoy the CBD and activate that night-time space.”

Ms Brown said two live music venues were in progress, one where Dimmeys used to be and one in the Bi-Rite building.

“We’re just waiting on Council,” she said. “They’re holding a stakeholders meeting in early February, to basically work with these venues and make it happen for them. The people involved live locally and have great experience in the industry. But it’s hard for them because they’re paying rent, and doing up these buildings and going to a lot of expense while they wait.

“Cr David Law has been very, very supportive of it. But really now the wait is on Council and we’re keen to see how quickly they’re going to progress it.”

The tram will run from the Tram Terminus in Mill Street, adjacent to the Nambour Mill Village Shopping Centre, to the southern end of Quota Park (between Repco and Aldi), and is expected to be operational this year.

Ms Brown said Reimagine Nambour, Nambour Chamber of Commerce and the Nambour Tramway Company were working productively to help make the vision of former Cr Greg Rogerson a reality. “They’re very tight-knit and working hard together. There are so many people in this town who want to see this happen.”

Imagine Festivals are also planned to help energise the CBD. These will involve market stalls, eateries and retailers, community groups and entertainers.

A $500,000 CBD revitalisation project was also under way, as was a $60,000 Branding Nambour initiative.

Ms Brown said empty shops in the CBD were a lagging indicator and not a true reflection of broader Nambour, which was thriving.

She said the CBD initiatives would also boost investor confidence that had been affected by ongoing CBD safety concerns.

“Right or wrong, the perception is that Nambour is not safe. And, the fact is, there have been incidents. 

“You can’t not talk about it — because it’s a fact. And we have got issues with the location of our clinics for vulnerable people. So there are issues that we need to address. 

“But what these projects do is show anybody who’s interested in coming in and wanting to start up a shop or a business or investing commercially, it shows that the town is vibrant and it helps with safety because people are taking back ownership of the streets.”