A public meeting of almost 200 Maleny residents on August 28 questioned Council’s spending priorities on the Maleny Community Precinct.
SUNSHINE COAST COUNCIL has completed its Master Plan for the Precinct but has left off the plan a key community resource – the 4km walkway from the township to Gardners Falls. There was also concern over a request to Council by the Maleny Golf Club for $450,000 to start its golf course.
The meeting at the RSL Hall was the first opportunity in more than two years that the public has had to discuss Council’s plans for the Precinct.
One of the five Precinct stakeholders, the Green Hills Fund, called the meeting, and its new president, Steven Lang, gave a detailed slide show presentation of the site components, the importance of species connectivity throughout the Blackall Range, and Council’s proposed schedule of development.
It is this schedule which concerned people at the meeting. Questions were asked of the three Council representatives present – Councillor Jenny McKay, Council’s director of the Precinct project, Alan ‘Fox’ Rogers and Council’s head of environmental policy, Steve Skull.
It was pointed out that feedback from the previous Council’s community consultation in 2007 had come down most strongly in favour of a walkway along the Obi Obi Creek from the Maleny township to Gardners Falls.
Peter Stevens, president of Lake Baroon Catchment Care said the walkway was absolutely vital to give the entire community the chance to connect with the Precinct after ten long years of planning.
Peter Rogers from Hinterland Tourism endorsed the view that a walkway would enhance the increasing reputation of the Range as a place for walking trails.
For example, Mary Cairncross Reserve receives 500,000 visitors a year confirming that visitors come here for the area’s environmental values.
Council plans to spend $4 million dollars over the next four years to kickstart development of the Precinct, but the first stages of the Master Plan do not include the walkway.
At the meeting Alan ‘Fox’ Rogers acknowledged that the Golf Club was seeking $450,000 to carve out its first nine holes, but said no decision had been taken by Council.
“If this funding is seriously being considered in the first few years of development then it goes against the intent of resident wishes as indicated by the consultation process three years ago,” Mr Lang told the Hinterland times. “It confirms that he who shouts loudest wins the prize.”
“The proposed walkway/cycleway to Gardeners Falls is how our children and grandchildren will get to Gardeners Falls. It gives ownership of the Precinct to the community. It is something everyone will use, regardless of which club or society they belong to. It is the one feature everyone can agree on. It is the priority.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that Green Hills opposes a golf course on the precinct. We have formally signed off on a Master Plan which includes one, recognising the compromise as a win for all of Maleny. But we did so believing Council would require potential lease holders to provide their own funding, leaving Council to concentrate on the infrastructure the Maleny community so clearly declared it wanted.”
Several residents expressed concern that while stakeholder groups had to prepare commercial business plans before they became leaseholders of Precinct land, Mr Rogers could not guarantee that residents would get to see those plans.
Given that the estimated cost of the Precinct Master Plan over the next 20 years is close to $75 million, one suggestion from the floor was that Maleny land and homeowners might have a levy attached to their annual rates to speed up the process.
This was immediately rejected by another speaker who said she did not want her rates going towards the funding of a golf course.
Councillor Jenny McKay said she and her officers had heard the concerns of the community and would ensure that they were reflected in the Precinct strategy report that will go to Council within six weeks.
“We have had nearly three years of consultation with key stakeholder groups, Council and consultants,” said Mr Lang. “It is important that the outcome now delivers the environmental aspirations clearly expressed by this community three years ago. “
For further information: www.greenhills.org.au
Leave a Reply