Palmview: fast-track to an urban nightmare?
As with Caloundra South, another open space on the Sunshine Coast has been targeted for intensive development. The area north of Palmview and south of Sippy Downs has also fallen under the state government’s SEQ Greenfield Land Supply Review. As a result, the local council has now developed a structure plan for the 954 hectare site.
The proposal will see about 14,000 extra people and 6265 new dwellings and buildings. Combined with the proposal for Caloundra South, we are set to have an extra 64,000 residents, sharing our roads, our beaches and increasing the pressures on our rapidly disappearing natural environment.
The Palmview structure plan area
Yet again, flooding is an issue and so too is the health of waterways and native habitat. The site contains areas of high environmental value such as the Mooloolah River and its floodplains. Disturbing a river’s floodplains has many impacts, none so obvious as the sudden and unwanted water-front views experienced by many local residents during heavy rain events.
Important ecosystems and an endangered rainforest plant species (Medicosma sp.), one of only three colonies in the world, will be under threat. With more development, comes the need for more protection of our natural areas. Remove a little bit here and another bit somewhere else, and some simple arithmetic tells us that soon there will be very little left with the remainder becoming increasingly fragmented.
However, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council has incorporated a number of commendable sustainability initiatives in their structure plan for Palmview. Provision of an open space network for ecological, recreational and amenity purposes to contribute to biodiversity values, six star energy efficiency in buildings and excellence in ecological design practice in all development with fully integrated water cycle management are such examples
Yet, as with any development, it is not only the impacts of the development in question, but the larger, cumulative problems that deserve serious attention. If smart public transport systems are not in place then it is obvious, to say the least, that congested roads, in fact more roads, will be our common future.
In 2006, over 90 per cent of our daily journeys to work within the Sunshine Coast were made by private transport. And only 2 per cent used existing public transport. Urban development, without adequate public transport options, will lead to a greater number of cars, more pollution, more noise and eventually, more roads. As the state government rushes to invite more people to our region on our behalf, they are forgetting that any new urban development must be properly planned from the start.
Palmview, according to the local council, is poised to be a pilot development incorporating sustainability principles and infrastructure on a large scale. As such, it would appear logical for council to focus on truly ecologically sustainable development being delivered in this region with unequivocal commitment from the state government and the development industry, contingent on any development proceeding.
Any increase in population must be based on a sustainable carrying-capacity criteria which carefully considers the biophysical constraints, including ‘look and feel’ rather than just an acceptance of a predetermined, arbitrary figure. Or, is that asking too much?
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What has the Sunshine Coast Environment Council got to say on on Palmview? Their position paper can be viewed at the SCEC website
Related articles:
- The Caloundra South Development
- Challenging times ahead for new council
- Up close with Ian Lowe
- A clear warning
- Crucial votes ahead
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