HIGH-RISE buildings, boutique shops and small pockets of inner-city parkland are all envisaged for Toowoomba by 2031.

It has been four years since council released its Toowoomba City Centre Master Plan - the "living document" which will drive continue to development for the next 17 years.

Several giant leaps have been made since its publication.

QIC has signed on for a $330 million redevelopment of Gardentown and Grand Central shopping centres and the "under-used" Toowoomba Foundry has been bought by Bunning's Warehouse.

Work is also under way on the inner-city ring road - a major component of the traffic-mitigation steps outlined in the plan.

The plan makes several references to "linked public spaces", of which the planned Sew Handy laneway on Ruthven St is the first step.

Much has been done, but a revisit to the document reveals plenty more work is in store.

In 2010, council budgeted for a $17.45 million upgrade to the Milne Bay Aquatic Centre which included the potential for opening a second pool.

Refurbishing the RSL building on Ruthven St was expected to cost council $3.3 million, although an initial push to get work under way has come to a standstill.

The Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery is also in line for a $2.56 million upgrade, alongside City Hall which was allocated a $5.14 million renovation.

The monetary figures were based on 2010 costs and projected increases in labour and materials expenses were not taken into account.

Each of the separate projects fall into an overall plan to create an overarching "Civic Precinct" behind City Hall as well as a "Garden Square Precinct" bordering Ruthven, Neil and Margaret Sts.

It is within these precincts that things really get interesting.

Civic Precinct

THE planned demolition of the back half of the Toowoomba RSL building is key to creating a "civic open space" - a mixture of parkland, shops, cafes and artwork.

"This space is not a green 'park' but rather a formalised plaza or public square..." the document states.

"Buildings surrounding this civic open space should be orientated to front the space and have all primary entrances opening on to the space.

"The civic open space should be large enough to accommodate civic functions and events."

Toowoomba Regional Gallery is in line for an upgrade which would allow outdoor art exhibitions and performances to take place within the square.

The new Toowoomba City Library on the corner of Victoria and Herries Sts is scheduled to start operating early next year.

The City Centre Master Plan makes provisions for it to include a childcare centre, a cafe and a book shop.

Victoria St was also the planned site for an underground car park to make the most of the limited space within the city.

Public art is intended to be installed on the corner of Herries and Victoria Sts "in front of the upgraded aquatic centre entrance" and within the new library's forecourt.

Garden Square

PRIVATE investors will play a major role in getting council's Garden Square plan off the ground and into the sky.

The 3.3ha space contained within Ruthven, Margaret and Neil Sts is anticipated to share parkland and office space, on-street dining and another underground car park on Neil St.

Council plans to attract investment for two 10 to 12-storey towers with a combination of offices and accommodation to the west of the site, which would overlook the central park.

Their construction was expected to cost more than $50 million.

The central park would be filled with public art and have enough space to regularly run open-air markets. A boutique cafe, to be initially subsidised by council, was also on the books.

Council has stressed that the master plan was a "living document" and would change as new opportunities and market forces come into play.

Nonetheless, it provides an interesting snapshot of what our city could look like in another 17 years.