Flinders Shire Council is calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in developing a new 54- room motel in Hughenden to help with growing demand for accommodation in the region.
Hughenden, as with all of Western Queensland, requires increased short and long-term accommodation options to satisfy the growing demands of the local community and travellers.
The council has land available for the new motel accommodation, and has now released its EOI to potential interested parties.
Flinders Shire Council Mayor Jane McNamara said current demand for short-term accommodation in Hughenden far exceeds the availability locally.
“We are encouraging the development and operation of all forms of accommodation in Hughenden, including motels, apartments, cabin parks and hostels to increase the capacity of Hughenden’s temporary accommodation,” Cr McNamara said.
“We believe there will also be further demand on currently limited resources due to Council’s plans for stimulating economic development in the Shire.
“As a result, there is a strong case for viability of an additional motel accommodation in Hughenden. “We are now looking for all interested parties to submit an outline of their own proposal based on the form(s) of accommodation they would like to develop on the site.”
The site comprises of two parcels of freehold land owned by Council, and is located at McLay Street and Flinders Highway Hughenden. It has a 83.9m frontage to McLay Street and an overall 213.8m frontage to the Flinders Highway, including 20.7m between the two parcels.
The frontage of each individual parcel is 96.56m.
The development process is simple, with the Council Planning Scheme supporting the development of 50 rooms on each parcel, along with other associated facilities.
“We intend for the site to be developed as accommodation and associated facilities, for example a restaurant, a pool and a playground,” Cr McNamara said.
“Interested parties can operate the accommodation themselves or lease the accommodation to a third-party operator.”
