New cafe on the cards for Tom Quinn centre

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Richard King stands at the current Tom Quinn Community Centre cafe, which could soon be relocated and revitilised if a development application is approved.
Richard King stands at the current Tom Quinn Community Centre cafe, which could soon be relocated and revitilised if a development application is approved.

Customers visiting the Tom Quinn Community Centre in Bundaberg could soon be dining at a bigger cafe with all new features if a development application is approved.

Bundaberg Regional Council recently received a material change of use application from the organisation to relocate and upgrade the existing cafe at the centre on Killer Street.

Council’s planning and development portfolio spokesperson Cr Ross Sommerfeld said the application also outlined plans to convert the existing cafe into a shop as well as the construction of an additional storage shed on site.

“These changes have come about after a structural engineering inspection deemed the existing café was unable to comply with current relevant standards,” Cr Sommerfeld said.

“A new café has therefore been proposed for the site to sit north-west, adjacent to the existing amenities building.”

Tom Quinn cafe expansion
Richard King, Ashley Schiffke and Drew Smith at Tom Quinn Community Centre.

The Tom Quinn Community Centre’s Alternative School principal and centre manager Richard King said there would be a few exciting changes added to the new cafe if the application was approved.

“The new cafe will be about one and a half times larger than the existing cafe,” he said.

“It will feature an undercover eating area and a kitchen twice the size of what we work with now.”

Richard said in place of the existing cafe, a shop will be constructed to sell goods made at the centre.

“We have a lot of old pallets and other materials donated to us by the community which we make things from, including garden beds and knick knacks,” he said.

“These will be available from the new shop once it is up and running.”

Richard said the proposed changes to the Tom Quinn Community Centre were something the organisation was excited to go ahead with.

“We have some great clientele here at the centre and the community have always heavily supported the work that we do,” he said,

“It will not only benefit residents who visit our site but also the people who work here and the students who continue their training in our café and elsewhere.”