Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council engaged Cox Architecture to provide a design of the redevelopment between Crawford and Lowe Streets.

The council is currently housing staff across 11 buildings and aims to consolidate this into one head office.

General manager, Peter Tegart, said the redevelopment would address the needs of not only the council but of Queanbeyan more broadly.

“This project could be the catalyst for a widespread transformation of the Queanbeyan CBD, directing more workers into the city centre and increasing activity,” Mr Tegart said.

In addition to the new council building, the redevelopment would include indoor and outdoor public spaces and eventually an underground carpark and commercial areas.

The council announced they have signed a Heads of Agreement with a “major tenant” but would not divulge who that was until a lease was signed.

The tenant is expected to occupy one of the basement carparks, the first floor of the council office and parts of the ground floor.

According to the council, rental income from this tenant would offset the loan required to build the new headquarters.

Sale of surplus council buildings is expected to fund much of the further development in the CBD.

With council staff moving from 11 buildings to one there will be surplus publicly-owned property that is intended to be sold to the Downtown Q consortium.

Downtown Q, which is an amalgamation of Milin Builders, Turnkey Projects and McNamee Development Division, was announced in February as the group that put forward an unsolicited proposal to redevelop the CBD.

A council spokesman confirmed that the sale of these surplus properties has not yet been finalised and would not happen until this project has reached the development approval stage.

Following the community consultation period work will continue on the designs throughout 2017. The council expect a development approval to be submitted late this year with construction expected to begin shortly thereafter.

Construction is not due to be completed until the second quarter of 2019.

If you would like to submit your input to the designs you are encouraged to do so at yourvoice.qprc.nsw.gov.au

Comments will be accepted between July 17 and August 14.