Funds have been allocated from a Voluntary Planning Agreement with Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek mine, which will see $1.25 million put towards upgrading three major centres within Narrabri Shire during the next three years.

Narrabri Shire Councillor’s approved the $250,000 Boggabri project at its last council meeting, which also includes up to $61,900 from the next round of funding to complete the project as designed.

Tony Meppem, acting director of planning and development, said the project was the first step in improving Boggabri’s CBD.

“The project aims to renovate and improve existing facilities and includes the beautification of the street,” Mr Mappem said.

The redesign of the CBD includes stencilling all of the CBD footpaths, improving water systems to existing garden beds, as well as the addition of new garden beds.

It will also include new street furniture, cast aluminium seating with timber slat, picnic settings and a bike rack outside IGA.

A new fence and landscaped option to define the property boundary between Middle Park and the newsagency will also be included.

Council are further investigating plans to link Rotary Middle Park from the CBD to the Kamilaroi Highway with a landscaped heritage sports walk.

A motion was also carried at the meeting that the Narrabri Shire Council’s general manager prepare a proposal for a two-hour parking limit in Boggabri CBD and in Wee Waa Street immediately in front of Rotary Park from Brent Street to the northern edge of Rotary Park.

The proposal will then be referred to the Local Traffic Facilities Committee for comment before it comes back to council. 

Boggabri business owners have welcomed the news and are looking forward to the work beginning after Christmas.

“This has been in the pipeline for about five years so we will all be happy when it finally begins, but it is good news to hear council has approved it,” Donna Turner from Boggy Book Exchange said.

“It will bring us into line with Narrabri and Wee Waa and give us a new fresh, clean landscape.”

She said fencing off the park would be a great benefit for local families and the upgrade of the CBD’s watering systems would make it easier for council to water trees and plants along the main street.