Community urged to view draft area plan

BUSINESSES and the majority of citizens who have not yet had any input to the Local Area Plan have been urged to inspect the draft now on display at the Palmwoods Post Office building.

Speaking after the presentation by the consultants to last week’s general meeting, Cr Geoff Littler said he feared the community consultation had been hijacked by vested interest groups.

"It is vital we get to the real community of Palmwoods," he said. "There has been a lack of input from people with commercial interests in Palmwoods and there are also many people who live in Palmwoods but conduct their business out of town such as builders, who have not had any input."

The draft Local Area Plan will be on display for the next two months and Cr Littler said everyone who lives in Palmwoods should take an interest and ensure they have some input.

He stressed that the plan was a draft and issued a reminder of the uproar which arose after the Strategic Plan.

"When the Strategic Plan was on view in Palmwoods a few people came in to see it and a number of people supported it but later, when it became operative, everyone was asking 'what is this?’," he said.

"I would hate to see that happen again if people don’t like it once we start changing streets. It is crucial to Palmwoods that everyone has some input and makes comment."

Cr Littler said he had also registered his dissatisfaction during the preparation process with the way the community consultation process had been carried out.

"I am not sure I entirely agree with the community workshops; that the results did not reflect vested interests and that we didn’t get the real community," he said.

"From my observation, what came out of the workshop groups was dominated by one person in each team and there were even accusations that some team leaders put down things which had not been discussed by the group."

Cr Littler also refuted claims in the report that there was little available for the youth of Palmwoods.

"The only two things they don’t have is walls for graffitti and a skatebowl," he said. "We have a swimming pool, cricket, basketball, vigoro, gymnastics and every other sport there is."

He was also successful in having terminology changed from Palmwoods being a "village" to a country "town".

The draft plan will be on display until January 30, 1998.

THE following statistics were provided as part of the Palmwoods Local Area Plan:

Existing population: approximately 1500
Existing flood free developable land: 105 hectares urban; 80 hectares future urban
Growth rate 1986-1996: 5 percent per annum
Maximum population by 2011: 3000
Based on an average occupancy of 2.5 people per dwelling, additional dwellings required by 2011: 605
Based on an average of 8 houses per hectare, land required to be converted to urban use by 2011: 75 hectares

The LAP provides for an additional 3000 people or a population of 4500.