Article: State to develop Brisbane-Gold Coast green corridor

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

State to develop Brisbane-Gold Coast green corridor

State to develop Brisbane-Gold Coast green corridor
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Craig Johnstone

January 27, 2009 11:00pm

THE State Government is pressing ahead with a major redevelopment of the vital green corridor that separates Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
It plans to take more than 300ha of agricultural land and spend about $50 million on infrastructure to support new industries for the area.

A draft land use strategy also flags the possible closure of the last remaining sugar mill in the state's southeast, proposing that cane be taken interstate for processing.

The strategy deals with the future of more than 17,000ha south of the Logan River and west of the Pacific Motorway, much of it cane land and home to scores of farming families.

The land provides a so-called "inter-urban break" between Brisbane and the Gold Coast but has been under intense scrutiny for its residential and commercial development potential.

The Government's plans for the area rule out large-scale housing development but propose a strategy to expand existing marine industry at Coomera and Steiglitz, increase sand and rock quarrying and introduce horse breeding operations.

When Infrastructure Minister Paul Lucas released the draft plan last month, he insisted that 60 per cent of the Gold Coast would be protected from development.

However, the plan actually foreshadows the taking of up to 367ha of rural land for the development of a marine precinct and sporting facilities.

The strategy reveals the Government investigated the viability of growers transporting their cane 75km south to the Condong mill in northern NSW if the existing Rocky Point mill shut down.

"The assessment found that the Condong mill would welcome additional cane to increase its throughput and transport costs are unlikely to be an obstacle," the draft strategy said.

Local cane grower and vice-chair of the Rocky Point Future Planning Association Greg Zipf said the community wanted an "economically viable option" for the future of the area.

[stephenk]

At which point will Queensland's planners discover that building an already oversized city outwards is unsustainable? It may be against the "Australian Dream" but unless Brisbane is built up instead of out (thus increasing population density), then transport around SE Queensland will be increasingly unsustainable.