‘Stifling growth’: Government slow to act on regional plan revamp

Cairns’ growth will be choked by the state’s oldest regional plan and the council is calling on the state government to urgently review it.

DEVELOPMENT in Cairns could stall unless the state government acts on revamping the Far North Queensland Regional Plan, according to developer and planner Evan Yelavich.

Mr Yelavich, who is a director and planner with Planning Plus as well as having an interest in substantial residential developments, said the time for action was now.

“Cairns is experiencing growth at rates not seen since pre-GFC and actions need to start being taken now to ensure we have a reliable pipeline of land into the future,” Mr Yelavich said.

“It takes a significant amount of time to bring new growth areas to fruition and this needs to start with a new regional plan.

Ten years ago Mt Peter was hectares of cane farms. Today it's a real estate hotspot with parks, daycare and its own Catholic College, and it's growing by the day. Housing construction and building work underway and real estate for sale in the Mt Peter residential estate just south of Edmonton. Picture: Brendan Radke

“It is quite possible that with the Cairns northern beaches area approaching capacity that the Mt Peter growth corridor will only provide around 10 years worth of land supply,” he said.

Mr Yelavich said this was a concern because there were no further growth areas under planning review.

“The current plan itself states that we would need to be making significant decisions about how and where the city will grow beyond Mt Peter within about 15 years – that plan was prepared in 2009 so we have now essentially reached that point,” Mr Yelavich said.

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said development could be stifled.

The council is operating under a 2009 plan and has asked Deputy Premier and State Development Minister Steven Miles last October to prioritise the review – but there has been no response.

The regional plan is an overarching document which guides the council’s own planning scheme and sets the strategic goals for the region, including future growth options.

Cairns Regional Council Mayor Bob Manning has called on the State Government to act on the FNQ Regional Plan review. Picture: Brendan Radke

“The need for an immediate review of the FNQ Regional Plan was initially highlighted by council last year,” Cr Manning said.

“The existing plan is old, stifling growth and has no state accountability, monitoring or evaluation.

“Cairns and the Far North need a new regional plan to be the document that sets the collective vision for our region.

“It needs to identify future economic opportunities, capitalise on strategic improvements and is used to inform other major planning and funding documents so we see actions on the ground, not just words in a document.”

He said a review would provide the opportunity to align future planning and support long-term economic growth, drive job creation and support key industries through an integrated land use approach.

The first stage of the much-anticipated Pinecrest residential subdivision at Mt Peter was being released in July 24 last year, with 48 large lots priced from $210,000 in the Rocky Creek precinct. Picture: supplied

“As council has started working on a new planning scheme for the Cairns region, it is critical that the Queensland Government concurrently review the FNQ Regional Plan,” Cr Manning said.

“Failure to undertake a review would force Council, under legislation, to reflect and integrate out-of-date regional policies into future planning and strategies, potentially impacting on council’s ability to effectively plan for the community’s future.”

The October report said it was critical the government prioritised the region given it had been one of the most impacted regions by Covid.

It said the policy in the plan was more than 12 years old.

Changes since then included the types of houses being built, industries being established, the influence of technology, knowledge and expertise about managing natural hazards and climate change science.

It said CairnsPlan 2016 was the council’s primary plan for development and growth of Cairns and a review of the FNQ Regional Plan would help council in the preparation of a new planning scheme.

Originally published as ‘Stifling growth’: Government slow to act on regional plan revamp