Introduction page - PRRA  Palmwoods Residents and Ratepayers Association

    Submission to Maroochy Shire Council:
    Palmwoods Local Area Plan

Vision Statement:

The vision for Palmwoods can mirror the Maroochy Shire Strategic Plan under the following headings as follows (in brief):

* Economic Development - to provide an economic base for Palmwoods which comes from rural activities, heritage, tourism and local shopping.

The Strategic Plan states: ‘A broader economic base also requires the protection of the tourist industry with its implications for:

 

* Social Equity and livability - to provide a living environment which allows diversity of choice in the provision of housing, transport and employment.

 

* Environmental and Aesthetic Values - ‘The environmental and aesthetic vision for the shire is one which values, protects and promotes significant habitats and the processes essential for ecological sustainability..... Ensuring a high standard of environmental and aesthetic amenity is important, not only to the local residents, but also underpins the tourism industry within the shire.’ (Strategic Plan )

 

* Accessibility - ‘The vision for the Shire is to increase accessibility for all urban residents through the creation of communities served by a safe, direct, and interconnected road system for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians focusing on a community centre comprising commercial, residential, institutional and industrial land uses appropriate to the community.’ (Strategic Plan)

We believe:

 

This submission contains the following points:

* Extension of the study boundary to include hinterland.

* New survey of Palmwoods residents to include the extended study area.

* Due to past errors in the previous planning of Palmwoods, there needs to be a re-assessment of the amount of land allocated ‘Urban’ on the Strategic Plan. All future urban land, and some urban land would need to be assessed.

* Better protection of Good Quality Agricultural Land as identified by ‘Horticultural Land Suitability Study’ by M. Capelin

* The face of agriculture is changing, and no development should be allowed which takes away the opportunity for new forms of agriculture. e.g. cabinet timber.

* Proper buffer zones around new housing estates where they adjoin agricultural land.

* Growth rate fixed at 3% p.a.

* Need to develop a "heart" for the town. This would involve considerable thought about traffic calming, paving, streetscaping. The current retail triangle from the hotel - Police Station - Chemist joined in a meaningful way.

* A mix of housing types in subdivisions to avoid a "sea" of the same type of housing.

* Encourage timber buildings rather than ‘brick and tile’.

* Provision of affordable housing as outlined in the Strategic Plan is only an issue once employment has been generated.

* Environmental research on creeks and waterways.

*Areas which are of environmental significance to be identified and possibly purchased with the council’s ‘Green Levy’. (e.g. the Bat colony at Chevallum)

* Education campaign directed at landholders along creeks, especially Paynter’s Creek.

* The LAP should reflect the fact that Palmwoods has tourist potential, especially since it is on the road to Montville.

* No new by-pass roads are needed with a small growth rate of 3%.

 

Extent of the Boundaries of the Local Area Plan.

The June Newsletter No. 1 indicates that the primary study area is simply the existing township, and other areas such as ‘Orange County’ which are designated Urban on the Strategic Plan. The Palmwoods Residents and Ratepayers Assoc. submits that this far too narrow, because Palmwoods is defined by the hinterland as much as by the township.

The plan boundary should be defined as the local government boundary of Palmwoods which includes the hinterland.

Issues identified in Council’s newspaper ad relating to the LAP were:

1. Perceptions and expectations relating to the town of Palmwoods and its future.

Survey conducted in 1996.

To a large extent, this has been covered by the survey conducted by the Palmwoods Residents and Ratepayers in 1996. Clearly residents are uneasy about rampant development in the form of housing estates. Statistics show that the electorate of Fairfax has economic and social indicators which are cause for concern, and that this is after 15 years of high growth rates.

We submit that as part of the Local Area Plan, another, more comprehensive survey should be carried out by Maroochy Shire Council. This survey should include residents in the rural areas of Palmwoods.

Oversupply of urban land on the strategic plan.

Clearly there has been too much land allocated ‘Urban’ on the Strategic Plan. Figures supplied by the Planning Department show that Palmwoods has 252 Ha of land available for Res "A". This would allow an extra 4000 or 5000 people. Some of the urban land designation needs to be removed, and it should be a high priority for this Local Area Plan to decide which areas are to be removed. Sequencing of remaining areas is also important. At the very least, the future urban land should be removed.

We submit that the growth rate of Palmwoods should be fixed at 3%, or at a rate determined by a survey of the residents as mentioned above. A 3% p.a. growth rate could be accommodated and absorbed by the township, but a 20% p.a. increase (as allowed for by the strategic plan) is not acceptable.

Infrastructure Costs

We submit that much of the previous growth surge on the Sunshine Coast has been due to the fact that infrastructure costs have been subsidised (via borrowing) by existing ratepayers. Headworks charges on sewage and water are not sufficient when the full costs of providing for new residents are considered. (e.g. libraries, road building and maintenance, sports fields, health services). In other local government areas in Australia, infrastructure costs of $30,000 - $40,000 must be met by the developer. For fringe areas such as Palmwoods where there is little public infrastructure, it is even more important to factor these costs into the development equation.

Affordable Housing

The concept of affordable housing seems to have high priority in the Strategic Plan. As mentioned above, the social and economic indicators for the Sunshine Coast are cause for concern. Clearly, with high unemployment rates, land could be given away and yet would still not be affordable. Employment must come first.

Subdivision plans should involve a mix of housing types.

The need for a mix of housing types is being increasingly recognised. Many subdivision plans involve a ‘sea’ of the same type of allotment. It would be far better to allow for a significant number of duplex blocks, a small "Townhouse" development, 600 - 700 sq. metre house blocks, and even a few 2000 sq. m. blocks. The high density areas would allow for the larger blocks and the overall number of dwellings would not increase. This would greatly improve the visual appeal of any development, and would allow for greater choice of housing for potential residents. The social mix would also be more diverse.

As mentioned by the consultants GH&D in their initial discussion paper, brick and tile architecture (without verandahs) is not particularly suitable for the climate of the area. High rainfall, and lack of sea breezes produces high humidity. Brick and tile covenants on subdivisions should not be allowed.

2. Strengths and weaknesses of Palmwoods.

Strengths:

Landscape - environment - possibilities for tourism. It should be remembered that the name Palmwoods comes from the fact that there was (and still is) an abundance of Bangalow palms along the creek lines. An important project would be to enhance the riparian zones around the creeks. (particularly Paynter’s Creek) This would involve an education campaign for landholders along these creeks, and possibly the employment of a project officer. Federal govt. funding has allowed employment of such a project officer in the Mary River catchment.

Environmental Research.

The Queensland Department of Environment was heavily involved in the Sippy Downs Planning study, mainly because of the proximity of Mooloolah River National Park. We believe that the environment of the Palmwoods area is just as important, and vegetation and creek surveys could be carried out by that department.

The lagoon system which flows from the ‘Orange County’ land through the residential areas, and then on to Paynter’s creek will be subject to flooding and disruption from the 300 or so houses planned for the ‘Orange County’ subdivision.

Areas which are identified as having environmental significance could be considered for purchase via the ‘Green Levy’. One such area would be the bat colony at Chevallum. ( a rare colony which has been noted historically since 1915)

Horse riding/ trail riding could be encouraged by appropriate road signs to slow traffic.

Soil, rainfall, proximity to markets - There are possibilities for agriculture - but probably not the traditional crops which have been grown in the past. Any plan should take careful note of good agricultural land as identified by Mike Capelin’s report. Proper buffer zones are important. It is also important to note that it is possible to farm small areas (2 - 4 Ha ). Strawberries are a good example of this.

Relatively small population, and slow growth - thereby allowing new residents to be integrated into the town. Slow growth should be recognised as an advantage.

Railway - but not simply as a means to turn the town into a suburb. The Station needs upgrading to make it more attractive and pleasant for passengers. (although this is not the domain of the council, the Local Area Plan can still indicate the wishes of the community in this regard).

Tourist potential - The main road to Montville runs via Palmwoods. It should be possible to capitalise on an already existing market.

 

Weaknesses:

Town Layout -. The steepness of the land and the fact that the town is already segmented into four small shopping areas poses challenges for further development. Also the main road to Montville runs right through the town. However, these challenges are not insurmountable, and it should be possible to plan an interesting township.

It is important not to segment the town by allowing a new shopping centre in the ‘Orange County’ subdivision. Recently there have been some improvements in the township which suggest that the existing township could continue to function well. (renovation of the old ANZ Bank, and new businesses and renovations in other shops)

Streetscaping - The hinterland town of Cooroy is an interesting example of involvement of the community to achieve a direction for streetscaping of the town. Funding was obtained from the Queensland Arts Council and R.A.D.A.F. (Regional Arts Development Assistance Fund) to about $100,000. This allowed: (after decisions about appropriate meeting places and road crossings)

 

By-pass roads

The LAP should consider as a high priority any by-pass roads, as these will effect the planning of the township. There has been discussion of a by-pass road down Rifle Range Road, over the railway, and out to Chevallum. We maintain that no by-pass roads are necessary if growth of the town is kept at 3% p.a. Traffic calming in the main street is a high priority.

3. Business and other opportunities that should be further investigated.

This could take time, and it is important that some of the attributes should not be destroyed in the meantime. (ie by housing developments) It is interesting to note that the ‘Orange County’ land has been identified (by a D.P.I. forester) as ideal for a cabinet timber plot, and there could even be tourist possibilities in conjunction with such a development. The Sunshine Coast Economic Development Board has been promoting such forest plots.

Stuart Venn
Rick Albert
for Palmwoods Residents and Ratepayers Association

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