Background1

Development Application

CCRC Planning Department report

Mission Beach Cassowaries Inc submission

You can view the live streaming of CCRC General meeting 10 Dec 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y3YR-1CCuo
Agenda Item 7.2 Aviation Facility
Discussion re the facility starts at 3:52.42

Clarifying any confusion
During the official comment period from 15 April 2020 to 8 May 2020, the CCRC received a large number of submissions from the community objecting to the Aviation Facility proposal.
*** The CCRC Planning Department has recommended the Aviation Facility located within the wilderness heart of Mission Beach, be approved***.
Read their report here
The councilors will vote on the application at their general meeting on Thursday Dec 10th. The vote of the council will be the final say, unless the Applicant or an objector challenges the decision in court. To reject an application after the Planning department has recommended approval, the council must present good reasons in the public interest to then deny it.

Our Planning Scheme
The local planning scheme is a non binding document written to guide local government in management of our region. The public are invited to have input when the plan is reviewed every 7 years. The finalised plan should reflect community views. All CCRC decisions are assessed against the local and state planning schemes. The state planning scheme is legislated. The local planning scheme is a guideline only, but should reflect state planning legislation.
The community vision for Mission Beach, reflected in decades of local planning schemes, is to protect its special natural and cultural values and character based on low key, low rise development, quiet, relaxed village amenity, long uncrowded beaches, rainforest growing down to the sea, villages separated by rainforest and farmland; and the cassowary.

Local Government decision making
Over the last 10 years, successive State and Federal governments have changed the law to fast track developments. The Federal government has largely handed development assessments to the states and the State governments have stopped making local government comply with state planning legislation. Local government lacks adequate checks and balances and binding legislation.
We have seen the result of these changes as the local Planning Scheme guidelines have been often ignored with many developments approved through rezoning (material change of land use) and ignoring codes such as building heights.

Example 1: Overriding Planning Scheme, rezoning residential to commercial Innisfail Advocate 14 10 2017 article;

“Senior planner…. told the meeting both applications failed to meet council’s planning criteria but recommended they be approved because of the significant economic benefits they brought to the Cassowary Coast region. Mr Byron's report about the …. proposal acknowledged the development is inconsistent with certain provisions of the Cassowary Coast Council Planning Scheme 2015 and the Far North Queensland Regional Plan 2009 – 2031. Despite the conflicts the report said the proposed development did not raise any significant issues that could not be addressed by reasonable and relevant conditions”.

Example 2: Overriding Planning Scheme, rezoning GQAL for housing within cassowary corridor denying potential food production and farm tourism opportunities despite world recognised local exotic fruit farmer Peter Salleras’s advice about the value of the land to farming.

Example 3: Overriding Planning Scheme, approved 5 story building within a 2 story height limit. Grossly exceeding allowable footprint.

On Monday 3rd Dec the Cassowary Coast Regional Council Planning Department recommended and aviation facility in the wilderness heart of Mission Beach be approved.

What is the Aviation Facility?

Kestrel Aviation is a large corporate industrial business described on their website, Kestral Aviation as “...a leading provider of specialist aviation services to corporate and government organisation Australia-wide and overseas...”

The Applicant’s original application states that the proposed Aviation Facility premises are intended to be used for any of the following:

The arrival and departure of aircraft;
The housing, servicing, refuelling, maintenance and repair of aircraft;
The assembly and dispersal of passengers or goods on or from an aircraft;
Any ancillary activities directly serving the needs of passengers and visitors to the use;
Associated training and education facilities; and
Aviation facilities.

Associated uses including medical transfers, aerial fire fighting and search and rescue operations will also be undertaken on an as required basis.

Impact on our community
Commercial helicopter flights from the proposed facility will cause multiple daily disturbances to:

Matters of national environmental significance
Matters of State Environmental significance
Listed threatened / endangered species including the Cassowary
Listed threatened ecological communities: Littoral rainforests of eastern Australia
Essential habitat for cassowaries and other wildlife
Cassowary habitat corridors
Wetlands of high ecological values
Coastal amenity of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park WHA
The location’s relaxed and intimate village setting and the tranquility of the local community

In summary the proposal will;

have unacceptable impacts on listed ecological communities which are essential habitat for the Southern Cassowary and on the endangered Southern Cassowary population of the greater Mission Beach area;
Be incompatible with the intent of the greater Mission Beach local area plan;
Result in unacceptable impacts on the amenity and tranquillity of the village nature of the greater Mission Beach and Wongaling Beach area;
Have unacceptable risks arising from the proposed development’s required use of industrial fuels and aviation-related fire fighting (PFAS) given the physical location of the proposed development site.
Create adverse amenity impacts, and specifically unacceptable dust and noise.
Place Good Quality Agricultural Land under development reducing low impact options such as future food production and tourism ventures.

Read the CCRC Planning Department approval recommendation here

Protect your lifestyle and Mission Beach from inappropriate development

An online petition has received 558 signatures. Although not accepted by the Planning Department it does show considerable community interest and objection with reasons outlined on the petition.
You can view the petition here and read the comments here.

Cassowary corridors and Areas of High Environmental Significance

Good Quality Agricultural Land (GQAL)

CCRC Planning Scheme .6.2 Element—Rural and agricultural land: The Region's rural and important agricultural land is protected and maintained to ensure ongoing use for agricultural and rural land uses 3.6.2.1 Specific outcomes: (6) ALC Class A and B land is not reconfigured into lot sizes or used for any purpose that is inconsistent with the current or potential use of the land for agriculture.

Listen to Peter Salleras who runs a very successful farm tourism business, talking to Terrain NRM about progressive farming approaches.

What you can do
While the official consultation period has closed, the community can still voice their thoughts and concerns on the proposed aviation facility to their council representatives.
Email your Councillors
Using any of the points on this page to support your personal reasons objecting to the aviation facility, send an email to all councillors prior to them making a decision at the general meeting on Thursday December 10th. (Emails listed below)

Ask your Councillors to:

Please listen to the community
Stick to the planning scheme
Vote against rezoning from Rural/ Good Quality Agricultural Land to allow high impact commercial/industrial development.
Place community wishes ahead of any ‘perceived economic benefits’ of a high impact aviation facility in the heart of Mission Beach.

Let your Councillors know
The development is located on land:

zoned rural
zoned Good Quality Agricultural Land (GQAL) A and B (see left Planning Scheme specific outcome).
within and surrounded by cassowary corridors and Areas of high environmental significance
in close proximity to privately owned land and residential housing,

and;

There are appropriately zoned locations within the shire for aviation facilities,
there are no reasonable and relevant conditions that can address the planning scheme conflicts and community concerns.

The proposed aviation facility has regional landscape, rural production values. The FNQRP (State government regional plan) protects these areas from encroachment by inappropriate development. The Lot should remain under current zoning to:

Avoid linear development (FNQRP) by maintaining separation of the Mission Beach and Wongaling villages.
Maintain quiet village amenity
Maintain rural and rainforest amenity on the tourist approach to Mission Beach village
Allow free movement of cassowaries through the multiple corridors surrounding and within the proposed development site.
Allow for long term economic, environmental and community benefit potential such as local food production and farm tourism. (Fruit Forest Farm and Charlie’s Chocolate are good examples). (See Specific outcomes for CCRC GQAL Map left).

Email your Councillors before Thursday 10 December
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]