Main Menu
Sub Main Menu
sunshine coast
noosa
coolum
national
world
11:04AM Monday 08 September, 2008 Sunshine Coast weather Mostly sunny min 11° - max 23°

Call to slow growth

24 June 2008

Never look a gift horse in the mouth the saying goes, but a Noosa housing design company has bucked the trend in calling for a halt to fast-tracked development on the Sunshine Coast.

Three parcels of housing land, neatly wrapped in expedited approvals courtesy of premier Anna Bligh could have meant an early Christmas for start-up residential design companies like Peregian Beach’s EcoLand, instead they’ve begun a petition to stop the stampede of an estimated 75,000 extra residents.

Although none of the three areas designated to be dressed up and plopped onto the market by year’s end are in the Noosa area, the effects will surely be felt according to former Noosa councillor Frank Pardon’s “kangaroo theory”.

Mr Pardon, musing over the ramifications of amalgamation, said the paddocks for the kangaroos down south, Maroochy and Caloundra, would eventually become crowded, so the herd would bound northwards on the weekend to feed and relax in Noosa’s environs.

EcoLand education manager Jo Turner said sustainability should be fast-tracked, not land development.

“We’re not saying we don’t want to be part of development, we want to be part of good ones, not rushed through and it’s going to be more of the same old, same old that people regret later on,” she said.

“It’s just madness to be making these kinds of rushed, short-sighted decisions on how we build our communities; especially as global insecurities are going to increase household and social pressures in the future.”

According to EcoLand’s philosophy, developed land and existing building stock is under utilised and better planning could see it house extra people.

But higher density, EcoLand’s project manager Sepp Hock said, must be coupled with a revolution in the way houses are designed and built, with less reliance on traditional forms of energy. EcoLand has passed its petition around to industry colleagues in the hope unified voice from those dealing with the practical realties of development and construction send a clear message to the state government: “Slow down Queensland”.

The signatures gathered through the petition will be added to the existing petition at: www.parliament.qld. gov.au/view/EPetitions_qld/ CurrentEPetition.aspx?Pet Num=1077.

Have your say

We welcome comments on our stories and blogs - after all it's your site. Please note comments should be on-topic and not abusive. Comments are checked before publication.