Cassowary Coast Regional Council

The ‘Far North Queensland Draft Regional Plan 2025’ was released and is effective from 9th May 2008. This plan is different from previous plans in that it is a statutory plan, under pinned by an act of parliament. Notwithstanding that the plan is a draft, open for public consultation for some 60 days, its application is immediate.

The state government will eventually pass planning legislation for all of Queensland, region by region, progressing from the recent amendments to the Integrated Planning Act (IPA), with all these new or amended regional plans to have statutory effect. I well remember the public disquiet when the IPA was first introduced, raising fears that it may become a mechanism to impose state controls. These concerns appear well founded, but the state government did seek input from locals in the framing of the plan and is now seeking further public input.

Local governments throughout Queensland have, in my view, contributed to the decision to introduce statutory planning. There have been too many examples of poor planning, sometimes motivated by self interest and parochialism. The general tightening of controls over local government through a mandatory code of conduct, unfortunate as this may be in diminishing local authority, results from an excessive number of examples of inappropriate behaviour and poor governance.

Now, what are we to do about the effects on the Cassowary Coast Region? At this stage there has not been a detailed examination of the 2025 plan. It is possible to access by computer the precise impact on an individual property.

Concerns I have identified to date are:-

• Future rural residential developments are prohibited, on the basis that there is already sufficient supply and there is a need to conserve good quality agricultural land. However agents tell me there is insufficient rural residential land in the CCRC area.
• The growth by 2025 of 100,000 people in the FNQ region is accounted for by 50,000 in Edmonton/ Gordonvale region, 20,000 elsewhere in the Cairns Region and approximately 15,000 in both the Tablelands and Cassowary Coast Regions. The capacity for commercial growth areas across our Region is limited. The proposed allowable Innisfail residential ‘urban footprint’ growth area is not large and is primarily towards Flying Fish Point and may need to accommodate 6,000-8,000 people. New developments in the Rifle Range Road area to the south of Innisfail will not be permitted.
• Medium and large scale future tourist resorts must be inside the ‘urban footprint’. This means that Ella Bay, which is outside the footprint, must be approved in Brisbane! It is nonsense to expect that eco-style resorts must be within town boundaries. For example the development of the Cardstone village area, owned by council in the Tully River Gorge, is not permitted.
• Population densities are to increase. This could have serious ramifications for example for the cassowary population in Mission Beach.
• The plan does not recognise the existence of an airport in Innisfail. Perhaps it isn’t used sufficiently.

It is vitally important that interested parties and individuals attend the advertised public information sessions and if appropriate make submissions. The Cassowary Coast Regional Council will be making submissions.

Cr Bill Shannon
Mayor