Caloundra South

[ozbob]

^ compounds costs.  Time for a paradigm shift - proactive rather than reactive ...

[petey3801]

Which is the good thing about the Sydney South West Rail Line, built before the demand is there so that people aren't used to simply driving by the time public transport has reached the area!

[Stillwater]

The planning is for six lanes on the Bruce Highway between Caloundra and Nambour turn-offs.  All the extra capacity will be taken up by local traffic movements caused by Caloundra South and Palmview developments.  Six lanes in planning between Caboolture and Caloundra turn-off.  That capacity will be chewed up also as Cal Sth and P'View people seek jobs in Brisbane.  Need for 20,000 jobs for combined population of 70,000.

[Stillwater]

Cop this!  The sustainable and green elements of the Palmview development have been ditched because the blocks of land for sale there would be too expensive in comparison to Caloundra South (Aura), where the Queensland Government took planning and infrastructure controls away from the Sunshine Coast Council, capping infrastructure costs, supposedly to create 'affordable housing'.  It remains to be seen whether the reality will be a bigger profit margin for developers.

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/sustainable-housing-project-fails-to-deliver/2817806

[ozbob]

[#Metro]

Cop this!  The sustainable and green elements of the Palmview development have been ditched because the blocks of land for sale there would be too expensive in comparison to Caloundra South (Aura), where the Queensland Government took planning and infrastructure controls away from the Sunshine Coast Council, capping infrastructure costs, supposedly to create 'affordable housing'.  It remains to be seen whether the reality will be a bigger profit margin for developers.

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/sustainable-housing-project-fails-to-deliver/2817806

There is plenty of more land on the Sunshine Coast for more houses. It is true that all these rules and requirements often go over and above what is necessary, which inflates the cost.

Councils often put large infrastructure charges on 'developers' but in reality this could be a cost on the community at large because lower supply of housing means higher rents and higher property purchase prices elsewhere. For example, Brisbane City Council is boasting about their student accommodation fee waiver 'success', I think all they have demonstrated is their development charges have smothered housing development across the entire city and caused somewhat of a shortage in student accommodation (and higher rents on students).

If environmental or other groups think they can do a better job at sustainable urban development, there isn't anything to stop such groups from buying land and developing it their way, providing that they are willing to wear the risks and costs. There are also many examples of non-profit housing cooperatives that don't make profits and engage in development for their members.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_cooperative

[hU0N]

I tend to think that developments like this are entirely backward. Low density detached housing in the middle of frikkin nowhere should be a boutique housing type, not a solution to housing affordability. That's just forcing young and/or poor people to live somewhere they don't want to in order to avoid doing the hard political work of reforming popular but unsustainable urban form.

[Gazza]

If environmental or other groups think they can do a better job at sustainable urban development, there isn't anything to stop such groups from buying land and developing it their way

No, point is, all developers should be forced to do things the sustainable way, because just letting them do what they want otherwise means that we just keep repeating the same problems.

Large scale land development is a bit of an oglipoly, and it's a joke to suggest we'll see better cities if we leave it up to them.

[verbatim9]

I would like to see more high density in places already developed. If we get higher density without landclearing The option for rail and metro style light rail to connect people together becomes highly likely. Over sized 3-4 Bedroom apartments can be a nicer way to live than a house with no backyard.

[#Metro]

It's always easier to push someone around when you're not wearing the risk or cost. There is a case for basic minimums but beyond that if some people think they can do a better job / know what to do, then they should be the ones taking out the loan from the bank. This isn't an argument of 'anything goes', but an argument simply saying that there are some things that developer/government should do, and should not do.

And not all rules are made with noble goals in mind. If you look at the Cedar Woods development, for example, the density of that is FAR below even basic minimums in almost all other Brisbane suburbs. Why single out just that land parcel? The density has been pushed so low that buses are totally unviable - how is that sustainable? - and even modest density housing has been banned (duplexes etc). That seems to have nothing to do with the environment or sustainability, except perhaps the sustainability of the most recent political administration in the polls.

I tend to think that much of this is because development is so hard to happen in already settled areas. You have a NIMBY problem. So it makes total sense to build where there isn't any local residents (i.e. in the middle of nowhere) where opposition is much less. This is actually institutionalised - if you go to European cities, the minimum densities are easily four-story to eight-story apartment blocks (often looking the same).

Australian cities waste incredible amounts of land on single-family homes. And it seems mandatory to surround anything and everything in a sea of parking. Anything over 1 story seems to be highly controversial to build.

[#Metro]

Brisbane mega-suburb gets final green light
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/brisbane-megasuburb-gets-final-green-light-20141209-123pce.html

Local councillor Andrew Wines said he supported the application once the more than 500 conditions were imposed.
"I do not support townhouses in any form as part of this application and have sought specific conditions to ensure this does not occur as part of this approval," he said.


Why ban townhouses? Townhouses are extremely modest by any degree, and now they have been banned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townhouse

We can see the same pattern in Bulimba also:

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/planning-building/planning-guidelines-tools/neighbourhood-planning/neighbourhood-plans-other-local-planning-projects/bulimba-barracks-master-plan

A mix of housing types, with houses and unit developments, with no 'affordable housing provisions'.

* 53% do not agree with row housing (modern terrace housing)
* 64% do not agree that medium and high-rise apartments should be allowed
* 57% do not agree that affordable housing should be provided

[hU0N]

It's always easier to push someone around when you're not wearing the risk or cost. There is a case for basic minimums but beyond that if some people think they can do a better job / know what to do, then they should be the ones taking out the loan from the bank. This isn't an argument of 'anything goes', but an argument simply saying that there are some things that developer/government should do, and should not do.

The problem is that governments at all levels virtually or actually subsidise low density detached housing with favourable planning controls and discounts or offsets on infrastructure contributions that simply aren't available to other housing typologies.

Consider this. If you want to develop vacant land for detached housing, all you need is some structure planning, some op works approvals covering basic infrastructure like roads and drains and maybe an ecological plan to demonstrate that you won't chop down *all* the trees. Then the council rezones the land and you can cover it with houses, no more approvals necessary.

If you want to subdivide for low medium density (duplex and three pack), medium density (six pack and above) or higher, the government and council will throw the metaphorical book at your application, requiring all sorts of public consultation and expert analysis of the merits of your plan, which all cost time and money. Then, if you get your subdivision approved and you pay the astronomical infrastructure charges, you still need to take each proposed building to council, one by one and put it through the same wringer to get approval for it.

So it's all well and good to say that people who believe in higher density should put up the money, but there's a rub. It's precious hard to make money in property development of any sort, and if the sort you prefer is not low density, the deck is stacked against you as well.

[#Metro]

Random example from Germany.

3-story unit block. Who died?

https://goo.gl/maps/6PLuEbPZovP2

[dancingmongoose]

Not sure if anyone's posted this or not yet http://cityofcolour.com/opportunities/transport

Also noticed some advertising for Aura in both trains I caught to work this morning.

[ozbob]

Not sure if anyone's posted this or not yet http://cityofcolour.com/opportunities/transport

Also noticed some advertising for Aura in both trains I caught to work this morning.

I hope they manage to get Beerburrum to Landsborough duplicated first ...   

[verbatim9]

So they are going ahead with light rail now too as per their graphic

[ozbob]

It is not quite what it seems ...

[Stillwater]

All the cooing about public transport at Aura relates to movement within the city boundaries, NOT connecting to outside Aura.  The key words on the website are these: "Aura's transport system will also link with future public transport services to provide residents with easy access to the wider Sunshine Coast region and its many attractions and opportunities."  The promise to the people of the Sunshine Coast (just like the Beerburrum-Nambour duplication) is that better times are ahead, in the future.

A rail link to or through Aura does not form part of the infrastructure agreement Stockland signed with the local authority and the state government.  Aura will be developed over approx. 20 years, which means no CAMCOS rail corridor provided by Stockland during the next two decades.  State governments have made promises about CAMCOS rail, none of them coming to fruition.

Meanwhile, a single line track groans under the strain north of Beerburrum.

[Fares_Fair]

So they are going ahead with light rail now too as per their graphic

No mention of it whatsoever in the audio visual presentation...   seriously misleading really.

All talk about wonderful connected bikeways to everywhere (which would be fantastic), however, since not being able to find work on the Coast here that's all they will be able to afford to get around on.

Maybe I should set up a bike shop? 

[Stillwater]

Watch the video again ... the emphasis is on a 'bike city' where that mode of transport is catered to (along routes that would also double as walking trails).  The planners also talk about the location adjacent to the Bruce Highway, for 'fast access to Brisbane, should that be where you want to go'.  It is the place people will have to go for work.  For all the talk about Caloundra South being integrated to the rest of the Sunshine Coast, it will be a far outer suburb of Brisbane.  While the rail corridor branching of the NCL just north of Beerwah will be preserved, notions of a track being laid are illusionary.  As for light rail ... that is downright deceitful.

[ozbob]

This could be a very popular song at Caloundra South Mr Stillwater.  It has a certain ' aura ' ...

[Fares_Fair]

Watch the video again ... the emphasis is on a 'bike city' where that mode of transport is catered to (along routes that would also double as walking trails).  The planners also talk about the location adjacent to the Bruce Highway, for 'fast access to Brisbane, should that be where you want to go'.  It is the place people will have to go for work.  For all the talk about Caloundra South being integrated to the rest of the Sunshine Coast, it will be a far outer suburb of Brisbane.  While the rail corridor branching of the NCL just north of Beerwah will be preserved, notions of a track being laid are illusionary.  As for light rail ... that is downright deceitful.

At least they got the name right, and it's very much like the current state Government, mystical when it comes to actually building something without federal money..

Caloundra South's rail or light rail transport will be a distinctive atmosphere or quality (BUT NO SUBSTANCE)    

The use of a rail or light rail logo is downright deceitful, all they are providing is a grassy corridor within 30 years!


aura
/ˈɔːrə/
noun

noun: aura; plural noun: aurae; plural noun: auras

1.
the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place.
"the ceremony retains an aura of mystery"

synonyms: atmosphere, air, quality, aspect, character, ambience, mood, spirit, feeling, feel, flavour, colouring, colour, complexion, climate, tone, overtone, undertone, tenor, impression, suggestion, emanation; More
vibrations;

informalvibes, vibe

"the Peak District will always retain a magical aura"

2.
(in spiritualism and some forms of alternative medicine) a supposed emanation surrounding the body of a living creature and regarded as an essential part of the individual.
"emotional, mental, and spiritual levels form an energy field around the body known as the aura"

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

9th November 2015

Re: Government must set timetable for Nambour track duplication and CAMCOS rail corridor to Caloundra

Good Morning,

Please find attached a copy of an article in the latest Railway Digest November 2015 page 4

Further work is needed on Queensland's North Coast railway line

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org


Article > available as attachment:

Media release 6 October 2015



Government must set timetable for Nambour track duplication and CAMCOS rail corridor to Caloundra

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org), a web-based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers, says the Sunshine Coast faces unprecedented traffic congestion due to increasing population growth and the development of the Aura town centre at Caloundra South.  It has called on the state government to commit to a definite timetable for constructing dual railway tracks to Nambour as a priority and eventually building a rail spur to Caloundra along the CAMCOS rail reserve.

"The start on construction of a new city called Aura at the southern end of the Sunshine Coast will be a game-changer for the entire region.  It will affect how and where people shop and will contribute to increased car-based transport activity that threatens our lifestyle," RAIL Back on Track Sunshine Coast spokesperson, Jeff Addison, warned today.

"Let's not forget also that, in addition to the 50,000 residents of Aura, another 20,000 people will be housed at Palmview.  It is a recipe for transport chaos, made worse by the state government's silence about any solutions, apart from road-based solutions financed largely by the federal government.

"It may be more affordable to buy land at Aura, but the trade-off will be increased transport costs for residents, as theirs will be two-car households where people will be forced to get behind a steering wheel to move outside the town centre and to find jobs elsewhere on the Sunshine Coast or, most probably, choke the Bruce Highway to Brisbane.  There is a very real danger that Aura residents won't relate to the Sunshine Coast at all.  They will be living in a smart urban centre that would empty during the day, as the bread-winner takes the car south, leaving their spouse and children isolated in a weird social welfare utopia.

"Clearly, the state government has approved Aura in isolation without considering its impacts upon the wider Caloundra region.

"The new city with its huge new retail hub will become a disposable income sponge, soaking up the household spend of a much wider area beyond Aura itself and threatening the viability of Caloundra's traditional Bulcock Street shopping precinct.  Aura will assume the Caloundra town centre role, leaving Bulcock Street with slim pickings and empty shops.  Certainly it will be much easier for people from the Blackall Range to shop for big-ticket items and source professional services at Aura, not Caloundra," Mr Addison said.

"The focus of this new development has been on the design elements within the borders of Aura with scant regard to the wider implications and impacts as Aura residents travel outside their city the size of Gladstone.

"While Stockland, the developer, has made a significant contribution to 'infrastructure costs' such as drainage, parks and roads, the infrastructure plan does not include a commitment to building a transit centre shown in its promotional video.  Most likely that is because the state government will not stipulate a timetable for augmented rail and feeder bus routes servicing Aura.

"Its only commitment to transport infrastructure at Aura is $55 million for an East-West Arterial.  That's it.

"Today, RAIL Back on Track calls upon the state government and Deputy Premier Jacki Trad, the Transport and Infrastructure Minister, to spell out a clear and unequivocal timetable for duplication of the Sunshine Coast Railway line to Landsborough in order for Aura residents to access trains to Brisbane from the Beerwah and Landsborough stations.  Augmented parking will be required to prevent commuters parking their cars all day in both towns, hogging frequent parking spots and affecting shopping convenience.

"While fast and frequent buses linking Landsborough and Caloundra via Aura will provide adequate public transport services in the interim, during the early stages of the Aura development, the state government must now start serious consideration about scheduling a start on building the CAMCOS rail spur to Caloundra and then to Maroochydore.

"CAMCOS rail would draw Aura residents to the rest of the Sunshine Coast, linking to the proposed light rail network.  As planned, Aura might as well be called 'North Caboolture'.  For all intents and purposes, it will be a satellite suburb of Brisbane, not integrated with Caloundra and the Sunshine Coast.

"Crucial to CAMCOS is the Beerburrum-Landsborough rail track duplication.  The project has environmental approval, the plans have been drawn and it remains 'shovel ready'.  It makes sense for the Queensland Government to call for expressions of interest from qualified consortiums to construct it, especially as rail track equipment, specialised workforce and expertise is released from the Moreton Bay railway line, now nearing completion.

"Beerburrum-Landsborough rail realignment and duplication would provide jobs transferable from the mining sector, which is experiencing a severe downturn.  Many of those mining workers are fly-in fly-out employees based on the Sunshine Coast," Mr Addison said.

ENDS

Contacts:

Jeff Addison
Sunshine Coast Region Spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

References:

1. Caloundra South
http://www.stockland.com.au/residential/caloundra-south.aspx

2. Sunshine Coast and Caboolture line upgrades
http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Travel-and-transport/Rail/Rail-infrastructure-upgrades-in-south-east-Queensland/Sunshine-Coast-and-Caboolture-lines.aspx

3. The Sunshine Coast Case : Rail duplication Beerburrum to Nambour
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=6647.0

4. Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study
http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/C/Caboolture-to-Maroochydore-Corridor-Study.aspx

[ozbob]

Twitter

Mark Bailey MP ‏@MarkBaileyMP 1h

Sod turn at Bells Ck Arterial Rd Sunny Coast to open up 6 star Caloundra Sth community by @Stockland @rickbaberowski



===============

^

Twitter

Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow 57m

. @MarkBaileyMP @Stockland @rickbaberowski #qldpol

[verbatim9]

More trucks from Port of Brisbane on the Bruce Hwy to Caloundra

[Fares_Fair]

Sunshine Coast Daily
Aura set to choke Sunshine Coast if upgrades on hold

By Bill Hoffman | 9th Jan 2016 5:00 AM

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/aura-set-to-choke-coast-if-upgrades-on-hold/2894187/

CALOUNDRA South would ultimately strangle the Sunshine Coast without duplication of the North Coast rail line to Nambour and a six-lane Bruce Highway, a state parliamentarian has claimed.

And long-serving Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson has made clear that, despite her federal colleague's Boost the Bruce campaign, the rail line must be the priority infrastructure project for the region.

Ms Simpson said unless done first, the Sunshine Coast's transport infrastructure would remain in catch-up mode.

State Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey has revealed the massive Caloundra South development, known as Aura and set to have a population of 50,000, will contribute an extra 13,000 vehicle movements a day southward and a similar number north to the Sunshine Motorway.

In response to a question from Ms Simpson tabled in Parliament on December 4, Mr Bailey said the government had a number of strategies in place to address the anticipated additional demand on transport infrastructure.

He said its infrastructure agreement with Stockland Pty Ltd required the developer to provide state roads and land for future roads and public transport, including an additional future interchange on the Bruce Highway north of Bells Creek, at an estimated total value of more than $140 million.




Reader poll

Which development is more important?


Aura is more important
The rail duplication is more important

There's already too much development

View Results Vote



Mr Bailey said a seven-kilometre section of the Bruce Highway between Caloundra Rd and the Sunshine Motorway would be upgraded to six lanes at a cost of $1.134 billion with construction anticipated to start later this year.

A further $8 million had been committed to planning the Bruce Highway upgrade between Pine River and the Caloundra Rd interchange.

Ms Simpson said there needed to be an awareness of what could be achieved by unlocking public transport to the region.

But she said the spine needed to be attended to before the arms and legs would work.

That spine was the rail duplication.

Ms Simpson said if the desire was to have more people on public transport it must be a viable alternative.

"The highest priority has to be fixing the rail," she said.

"We need half-hourly services to Brisbane to unlock the Coast's public transport network. Do that and everything will function so much more effectively.

"To just dump everything on to the Bruce Highway with improved access points won't work.

"Rail has to be the priority or we will always be in catch-up."

A spokesman for Mr Bailey said: "For Ms Simpson to now call for rail funding after doing nothing for three years (in the former LNP government) is hypocritical."

Fares_Fair says... Mr Bailey conveniently forgets that the LNP announced rail duplication to Landsborough in January 2015, at a cost of $532 million, to be funded by asset LEASES.

[ozbob]

Twitter

Jeff Addison ‏@Jeffrey_Addison 7h

Excerpt Story: @9NewsBrisbane re: #rail transport for #CaloundraSouth #2tracks I believe the State Govt is negligent

Excerpt Story: @9NewsBrisbane re: #rail transport for #CaloundraSouth#2tracks
I believe the State Govt is negligent pic.twitter.com/gJojexun9l

— Jeff Addison (@Jeffrey_Addison) May 1, 2016

[Fares_Fair]

The Springfield development (including the 6 suburbs making up Greater Springfield) was the right idea, integrate rail service to the new region.
Approx. 13.6 km duplicated track from Darra.

Why didn't the State Gov't do the same for the Sunshine Coast?
It'd be half the distance and it services a much larger population.

Can't help but notice the political bent of the seats each region represents.

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> Aura's 15-minute city vision for transport

YOU don't get very far travelling on the Sunshine Coast in 15 minutes.

But Stockland Sunshine Coast regional manager Ben Simpson has said the goal of the Coast's new city, Aura, is to be a "15-minute city".

"Our plan is people should be able to get anywhere across the city in 15 minutes," Mr Simpson said.

"For people to hop on a bike and get around the new city."

The corridor for heavy rail, so that trains can one day travel from Beerwah to Caloundra through Aura, is also in place.

Bus travel will be easy with bus lanes and new routes being prioritised so they will be available from day one.

Getting access to the hubs of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Maroochydore and other centres will be easy with construction of the $115 million Bells Creek Arterial Rd under way to provide easy connectivity to Caloundra Rd. A future connection to the Bruce Hwy further south will be created in the future.

[ozbob]

Sunshine Coast Daily --> Where will the 50,000 people from Aura work?

FINDING work on the Sunshine Coast has its challenges, so where will the 50,000 people who eventually move into the Sunshine Coast newest city find work?

Stockland Sunshine Coast Regional Manager Ben Simpson doesn't expect people will have to join the traffic jam and travel along the Bruce Highway to Brisbane.

The new city centre will have plenty of opportunities on its door step to ensure people won't have to travel far.

More than 1700 direct and indirect jobs will be created in the first year of the project alone, with an average of 300 people on the construction site each day at the moment.

Aura was predicted to create an extra 18,500 direct and indirect jobs over the first 10 years of the project.

By the end of the 30-year life of the project, Stockland predicted 20,000 on-site jobs and 20,000 off-site jobs would be created.

Two business and enterprise parks would also act as substantial new centres for innovation, trade and local employment on the Coast.

And with 20 schools and education facilities to be created across the site, this would boost job prospects.

The City Centre will comprise 100,000sq m of retail and 50,000sq m of commercial floor space and all those shops and businesses would need employees.

University of the Sunshine Coast Director of Sustainable Research, Prof Tim Smith, was also confident about employment prospects.

"The Sunshine Coast economy has diversified over the last 10 years and continues to diversify," he said.

"One of the issues we have is the high concentration of small to medium enterprises which are all affected by macro-economic conditions.

"At the same time there are avenues for innovation and for the region to reinvent itself.

"Certainly, there a very significant drivers occurring like the University Hospital and the growth of University of the Sunshine Coast.

"The next 10 years there will be a lot of spin-off.

"There will be people who might be working at the Uni and hospital and they will need people to build their houses and renovate."

Prof Smith's greater concern was the "broader sustainability issues for the Coast".

"We have to decide what sort of future do we want on the Coast and do we want to maintain our natural assets of have them degraded.

"This is the potential threat from sprawl development."

[ozbob]

We are living in a ' fantasy world ' in Queensland ..

[#Metro]

One of the problems with these areas is that they do not have a well-defined business district.
Setting up the CBD was one of the first tasks of colonialists when they arrived in Australia.

[Stillwater]

Under the SEQ Regional Plan, the state government is putting pressure on councils to house more people within their borders.  Developers who have land banked for years are loving this.

First there was Caloundra South (Aura), a new city of 50,000, then there was Palmview, a further 15,000 people.  Now Stockland, the developer of Aura wants to be allowed to build what could be termed 'south of Caloundra South', or Halls Creek -- essentially swampland draining into Pumicestone Passage.  This development would eat into the inter-urban break, or greenbelt, that separates the Sunshine Coast from Greater Brisbane's northern suburbs.

The Sunshine Coast Council opposes urban development at Halls Creek and, instead, has put forward 'Beerwah East' as an alternative growth area.  Largely, this is on land the state government owns.  Beerwah East has potential for 20,000 houses, roughly another Aura.  In addition, an extra 5000 people are proposed to be housed in the SC railway towns, south of Nambour.

The really strange thing is that the planners talk about the transport needs of these areas as being met by the SCL duplication and the CAMCOS rail corridor.  Both are in the dreaming phase, or within a parallel universe occupied by people who think everything will be alright and will sort itself out in the end.

Here is what the SC Council has to say about the public transport needs of yet another proposed 'city' for the Sunshine Coast:

Transport

PSA Consulting reviewed the traffic issues associated with development at Beerwah East and Halls Creek. The report considered that Beerwah East Identified Growth Area (IGA) would logically 'fill a gap' in the Sunshine Coast urban structure and directly link centres and urban development with the State government's existing and planned transport connections including the North Coast Rail Line and the proposed CAMCOS corridor.

Beerwah East IGA is also located along the future rail corridor (CAMCOS) and would justify a station of its own. It would also be more proximate to the established rail and connecting regional bus service than Halls Creek IGA. Beerwah East IGA can provide further linkages east-west rather than relying on the Bruce Highway for trips within the Sunshine Coast.

Beerwah East IGA would be expected to have a higher degree of self-containment of transport trips than Halls Creek IGA and result in greater use of public transport due to the extent of centres, schools and employment opportunities that it can generate because of its relative size and location.

In contrast, Halls Creek IGA is located at the end of the Caloundra South development and would not promote an efficient public transport system as it does not provide a through network to other places. The Halls Creek IGA is also located away from the North Coast Rail Line and is less likely to support increased rail patronage.

Halls Creek IGA is also unlikely to provide for significant employment opportunities within the development and may result in many more and longer private vehicle trips than Beerwah East IGA.

While both development fronts are likely to put pressure on upgrades to Steve Irwin Way and the Bruce Highway, the report notes that this proportion of traffic will not be the only trigger for these works. Likewise, upgrades to the North Coast Rail are required to increase patronage regardless of which IGA is developed, although the Beerwah East IGA would benefit more from these upgrades.

[#Metro]

Having more people does add weight to the case for more infrastructure.
Being a marginal seat, more so also.

I used to believe in self-containment, but I no longer do. Transport is a fact of city life, and it is impossible to expect most people to live within walking distance of their work.

Beerwah East IGA would be expected to have a higher degree of self-containment of transport trips than Halls Creek IGA and result in greater use of public transport due to the extent of centres, schools and employment opportunities that it can generate because of its relative size and location.

[Stillwater]

The more pertinent quote: "Upgrades to the North Coast Rail are required to increase patronage regardless of which IGA is developed, although the Beerwah East IGA would benefit more from these upgrades." 

The state government cannot approve the SEQ plan, with the Beerwah East development included, without committing to a firm timeline for both the Beerburrum-Nambour duplication and the CAMCOS transport corridor.  What's the betting that the document contains lots of motherhood statements along the lines of ..... planning for our future means were reduce the conflict between urban expansion and the convenience of getting about to work, to schools and to the shops ..... we want to reduce people's reliance on cars, which is why we are planning the public transport network of the future, including new connections and greater co-ordination of buses and trains .... blah, blah

And then they approve new mega cities with squiggles on maps, with no plan to build new railway lines, and not having the intention to build them.

This is the sad saga in Queensland, unfortunately.  A story in The Australian newspaper today about the SA blackout contains an accompanying table showing that Queensland uses 4.4 per cent of renewables within its total power usage (the lowest of any state or territory), yet has plans to increase renewable energy use to 50 per cent of all usage by 2030.

We continue to produce the plans and the glossy brochures, but lack conviction to carry out the necessary actions to meet the strategic objectives set by those plans.

[Stillwater]

If ever CAMCOS rail comes about, I don't think it will ever run to Maroochydore, but stop short at Kawana.  All aboard light rail and buses from there.  It will be a bit like the 'Redcliffe Line' that stops short at Kippa-Ring.  There will be a fudge, like naming the Kawana station the 'Sunshine Coast Station'.

[SurfRail]

I don't think Kawana would be a terminus.

I think it is more likely it will find its way to Caloundra and then be stuck there indefinitely.

[Arnz]

I'd say theres more of a chance of a Maglev to Doomben and Maglev Buses to Caboolture before any form of CAMCOS at this rate.  At least any form of NCL duplication between Beerburrum and Landsborough or improvements beyond Landsborough North have some marginal chance.

Light Rail between Maroochydore and Kawana Shoppingworld (potentially extended to the SC University Hospital as a terminus), with bus lanes from SCUH to Caloundra and Caloundra South (with potential bus lane extensions to Beerwah) would probably the best bet for internal PT on the SC.

[Stillwater]

Caloundra South (Aura) 50,000 people; Palmview 15,000 people;  Halls Creek/Beerwah East 20,000 people; railway towns, extra 5000 people.  Now Caboolture West - 70,000 people.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/moreton/caboolture-west-could-be-australias-next-major-regional-centre/news-story/99337b36b20f12cf8fd3aec55b7ac120

Plus organic growth of existing communities and you have a combined city almost the size of Hobart built away from the coastal area of the Sunshine Coast.

A few buses and a train ever 90 minutes should handle it, eh.

[#Metro]

Local Government needs to start shouldering more of the infrastructure cost, unfortunately.

Say, 15% of whatever project is being built. If this doesn't happen, I fear that projects just won't be built. Or maybe built after 50 years or so. Pointless.

Beneficiaries pay principle really.

Local Government is also in a good position - rates are based on land values, so the "deadweight" loss from taxation is low or none, and if Gold Coast TOD rezoning is taken, you can get money back from (1) more ratepayers living in your LGA (ongoing revenue stream), (2) Land value uplift capture through rates, (3) developer infrastructure charges.

To get a decent, fast rail from Beerwah/Caloundra up Maroochydore to Noosa would be about 66 km of rail.

That would cost 66 km x 110 million/km (ballpark) = $7.2 billion

Council contributions would thus be x 0.15 = $1 billion.

The Sunshine Coast is a good 60 km from end to end, the "traditional" QR station spacing is not great for long distances like that. Stations need to be well separated to get the trains up to a decent speed over long distances. Over 60 km, I would suggest 10 stations, Noosa included. That gives stations about 10 km apart. Buses, LRT or whatever can hang off that.

Regional Rapid Rail - Sunshine Coast
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1uBRYuiMCxuuPtrElPE6osLALslo

Regional rapid rail is the right choice - those trains can do 130 km/hr, but the aim should be at least 160 km/hour on the Sunshine Coast. Light Rail, metros, busways etc can't get to those kinds of speeds - only heavy rail can. The very high speed means that it will be more than competitive with the car from day one.

It doesn't have to be straight out of the Trouts Rd corridor from day 1. Even having it connect to the existing network would still be an improvement.

I know that people might feel uncomfortable of "letting go" CAMCOS and having a different (faster) rail proposal but I would suggest that CAMCOS has been on the backburner (off the burner?) for such a long time now that it is obsolete and all the calculations and studies would have to be re-done to bring it up to date again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maroochydore_railway_line

Initial public consultation was conducted in January 1999, with newsletters and displays of aerial photographs. On 31 March 1999, Minister for Transport & Main Roads Steve Bredhauer announced that a route from the existing North Coast line at Beerwah through to Maroochydore had been decided on.[1]

March 1999 people. That was 18 years ago!
Realignment studies were done 2007 - almost ten years ago!

UPDATE

The Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study was completed in 2001. The study investigated the feasibility, preferred development, impacts and benefits of a new public transportation corridor between Beerwah and the Sunshine Coast Airport.

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/C/Caboolture-to-Maroochydore-Corridor-Study

15 years ago! HOPELESS!!