Article: Sunshine Coast can take more residents: Property Council

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Sunshine Coast can take more residents: Property Council

Sunshine Coast can take more residents: Property Council
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Michael Madigan

January 14, 2010 12:00am

THE Sunshine Coast could soak up thousands more residents to ease clogging in the southeast corner and avoid becoming Australia's largest retirement village, according to the Property Council.

The Property Council of Australia yesterday pounced on new data revealing the coast's population density at 100 people per square kilometre, compared with the Gold Coast's 367.

Environmentalists have dismissed the new statistics as a simplistic, "stack em' and pack em" approach that doesn't consider fundamental carrying capacity of regions in the southeast.

Sunshine Coast Environment Council manager Narelle McCarthy said modern planning needed a more sophisticated approach.

"This is not only in terms of the biophysical limits, but the character and the liveability of the places being created or, as is progressively occurring, destroyed," she said.

While Brisbane crams 775 people into each square kilometre, the Property Council's Executive Director Steve Greenwood says at 100 per square kilometre, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC) has an obligation to accept more growth.

Mayor Bob Abbott is openly determined to retain the region's character, including the vital green space existing between the coast and Brisbane.

But Mr Greenwood said the coast was clearly not over-populated.

"These figures clearly put to bed suggestions that the coast is about to buckle under the strain of population growth," he said.

"You can't help but conclude that the council wants to somehow put up a "region full" sign sooner rather than later.

"This negative approach and the policies that flow from it will be the cause of long-term systemic problems for the region."

Mr Greenwood said under-investment in infrastructure could lead to fewer jobs and a chronic lack of affordable housing, all of which forced young people on the Sunshine Coast to seek a life elsewhere.

"This approach could lead to the coast being seen as Australia's biggest retirement village in less than a generation."

Ms McCarthy said the coastal community, which voted in a Green-leaning council, clearly wanted to create Australia's most sustainable region.

"The current and projected population pressure is dangerously undermining this (sustainable) direction," she said.

"The character and amenity of the region is paramount to liveability and wellbeing."

[#Metro]

It will be an interesting experiment to see what happens if there is a static limit imposed.
I also wonder what other regions around it would do, as a person not living at the Sunshine Coast is a person living in another region (probably elsewhere in SEQ).

[Sunbus610]

Yeah.....but we DON'T want to be over crowded up here like the Gold Coast region has become..... Hey, p%ss off Property Council of Australia leave us alone and don't suggest bringing more people here!!!