Developer thwarted yet again

29th May 2009

ALMOST a year after the Federal Environment Minister exercised little-used powers to rule out a subdivision at Mission Beach, the same developer family has again been stymied by cassowaries.

Seafarer Investment's new plans to split an 18ha lot into 53 residential house sites backing onto cassowary conservation land were quashed by Cassowary Coast Regional Council yesterday after planning director John Pettigrew described them as "complete over-development".

The land, near the Hull River at South Mission Beach, was zoned as a conservation precinct last year under a new planning scheme.
Mr Pettigrew said 53 houses would be "squashed onto 1000sqm lots" on hillside blocks with access through a cassowary habitat corridor.
"To us, this looks like another attempt to put a residential precinct into a conservation zone," he told councillors.

The proposal comes 10 months after plans for 40 residential lots on 24ha of forested land at nearby Wongaling Beach were ruled out by Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett in a landmark intervention.
Mr Garrett employed powers used only twice by the Federal Government to step in, saying he acted to protect the endangered southern cassowary. Conservationists maintained the Willmatt Holdings proposal threatened a crucial cassowary link between World Heritage rainforest and the coast.

Developer Will Manton defended his family's environmental record yesterday and expressed frustration over "goal posts being changed".
Mr Manton, developer of much of South Mission Beach including the hilltop rainforest resort now known as Elandra, said his latest subdivision application had been lodged before the new conservation zoning.

Mr Pettigrew said the same environmental requirements applied for both planning schemes, and told councillors he did not believe there was a case for compensation.

Article Source : Julie Lightfoot - Cairns Post 29th May 2009