Harvey Norman gets green light from Whitsunday council despite footpath debate
A major retailer wanting to invest in the Whitsundays is facing roadblocks as councillors argue whether more time and money is needed for foot traffic. Read why it is a sticking point.
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A Whitsunday Regional Council meeting got heated as concerns about foot traffic resulted in accusations of “knocking back development”.
Harvey Norman first applied to build a new showroom on Galbraith Park Road in Cannonvale back in May, 2020.
Concerns about pedestrian access were first raised on October 12, making councillor Michelle Wright question why the “fairly straightforward” development was facing issues so close to approval.
“I don’t know why we’re discussing this again”, Ms Wright said.
“To me, we’re knocking back development, we’re knocking back growth all the time.
“This will be a good thing for a business (that’s) expanding.
“If we don’t want development or don’t want growth, we might as well hang the closed sign on the front gate now.”
Ms Wright said she had expected the approval “to go through last week” on October 12.
Yet outgoing councillor Al Gundy questioned “how pedestrians will move in between shopping centres” in his last council meeting.
He argued the new development should require a pedestrian crossing on Galbraith Park Rd to connect foot traffic from Whitsunday Plaza.
“We need to encourage walking”, Mr Grundy said.
“Unfortunately, people will not walk from the shopping centre down to Shute Harbour Road.
“That’s human reality.”
Council resolved on October 12 to delay approval while further information about foot traffic was found.
If approved, documents state a signalised intersection with pedestrian access will be built at the Galbraith Park Rd and Shute Harbour Rd intersection.
On October 26, councillor Jan Clifford argued developers should bear the cost of a further “pedestrian crossing at the end of the current shopping centre” in the middle of Galbraith Park Rd.
“I don’t have a problem with the actual development,” Ms Clifford said.
“(But) I don't believe asking people to walk down to Shute Harbour Road (to) cross over and then walk back is at all satisfactory in our climate.
“At 7am this morning it was over 30C.
“Nobody in the Whitsundays walks very far.”
Whitsunday infrastructure services director Adam Hagy told council such a request would be “unfair on the developer”.
“There hasn’t been a realistic demand for a pedestrian facility in that location from an engineering standpoint,” Mr Hagy said.
“At this stage, there’s no demonstrated need for it.”
Council documents said though no formal pedestrian surveys had been conducted, pedestrian use “is expected to be very low”.
Mayor Julie Hall said “there had been some public concern over this”.
But Ms Wright said that concern came from “a small minority that’s continually vocal” and apologised to the developer for “how long this is taking”.
Apart from Ms Clifford, councillors voted four to one in approving the new Harvey Norman.
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