Port Douglas resorts: Fairmont developer ‘more determined’ to co-operate with Douglas Shire Council over ritzy hotel
The developer at the centre of a $300m standoff with a Far North council has promised to provide indigenous residents with unprecedented career opportunities if the spluttering hotel project can recover. HAVE YOUR SAY
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THE developer at the centre of a $300m standoff with a Far North council has promised to give indigenous residents unprecedented opportunity if the spluttering hotel project can recover.
Chiodo Corp director Paul Chiodo said the company was “more determined than ever” to co-operate with Douglas Shire Council over a development application for an opulent 253-room Fairmont Resort, which is currently before the planning and environment court.
The Mossman-based council rejected the original DA for the Port Douglas Road project which was set to provide more than 1300 jobs over its two-year construction and 196 ongoing positions once completed.
Mr Chiodo said 10 per cent of the positions would go towards the region’s First Nations people “as part of a partnership agreement with the local Indigenous communities”.
The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kubirriwarra Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation to ensure the land and its people are “treated with care and the site maintains its cultural reverence and acknowledgment”, in accordance with local
legislation.
“It’s important to us that we engage with the local indigenous community at each touchpoint,” Mr Chiodo said.
“The hotel will feature a significant area in the grounds for reflection and acknowledgment of the land upon which the hotel is built and its traditional owners. We are also exploring plans for an art gallery to exhibit indigenous artwork and tell the region’s story, while giving
guests the opportunity to purchase this artwork and support local creatives.”
Kubirriwarra’s Terry O’Shane said the agreement would lead to the creation and provision of
jobs for his people across construction and within the hotel as part of Chiodo’s reconciliation plan.
“We are extremely pleased with the opportunity to work with one of the world’s leading hotel brands Fairmont and with Chiodo in promoting our culture and our history as the world’s oldest continuous society,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic way to showcase our history and celebrate our heritage.”
Mr Chiodo expected to have “more clarity” from council on the steps needed to move closer to a DA approval following the court process.
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Originally published as Port Douglas resorts: Fairmont developer ‘more determined’ to co-operate with Douglas Shire Council over ritzy hotel
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