Following excerpts are from the Tourism Strategy
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The Cassowary Coast Regional Council is ignoring their Planning Scheme (which was to reflect the 2031 Plan) and developing strategies with 'economic benefits' overriding local and state planning.
It almost appears there is a deliberate avoidance of any reference to the cassowary. The Cassowary Coast Regional Tourism Strategy only mentions the cassowary once and that's only in relation to the naming of the shire. Local council is not considering or conditioning the impacts developments might have on the cassowary when making decisions, or writing future determining strategies and plans. Developments are being approved that conflict with the intent of State regional planning which was developed with extensive public consultation and to help protect the endangered cassowary. Commercial development is being placed in residential areas, Good quality Agricultural land is being placed under housing and developments such Castaways are being allowed in ‘at risk’ flood, foreshore erosion and acid sulphate locations, with building heights and footprints grossly exceeding codes. The ad hoc approach with ‘economic 'benefit' taking precedence over any planning guidelines, is ignoring public concerns, and threatening our natural and cultural values. The 'business as usual' pro growth agenda focused on expanding the rate base and promoting mass tourism, will place the important cassowary population at Mission Beach under even more pressure than ever before. This graphic shows an overview of how CCRC decisions are ignoring their Planning Scheme and undermining the State regional planning by approving developments and developing strategies that will generate significant traffic increase on all access roads cutting through cassowary habitat.
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In 2005 a resort development was approved at Mission Beach with conditions applied under the EPBC Act to mitigate the increase of traffic on the cassowary. One of the conditions was the requirement of a Traffic Management report to be written. ( MISSION BEACH ROAD RESEARCH: TRAFFIC IMPACTS ON CASSOWARIES AND OTHER FAUNA AND STRATEGIES FOR MITIGATION). The report made recommendations for traffic management at the known cassowary death hotspots. Reduction of speed was the primary recommendation along with suggested road treatments at the identified hotspots. Since then only one location has had an official cassowary crossing recognised and vehicle activated signs established. No speed limits have been reduced and cassowaries continue to be killed on the roads.
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