Great Keppel Island: Project now approved. The GKI Redevelopment Project has now been approved by both State (3 March) and Federal (5 March) governments. CCC is still concerned over dredging of Putney Beach for the marina and the extent of ‘residential’ development on the middle of the island. With the long term financial viability of such major resorts having a poor track record, another worry is that it will go broke during construction and we might end up with another fenced-off construction site, concrete slabs, and long grass.
CCC believe that the scale of the plan is still over-the-top and inappropriate for this island. Even though Tower claim that it is only “a quarter” of the size of the original plan, it still includes – a 250 room hotel, 300 apartments, 750 villas, 250 berth marina, one 18 hole golf course, etc.
Do we really want a real estate scheme of suburban land development spread over much of Great Keppel Island? Do we want the delicate shallows of Putney Beach dredged to great depth and lined with rocks for yet another marina? Do we want another “copy cat” Qld coastal resort? In 2008 the Department of Natural Resources determined that the Most Appropriate Use of Lot 21 be “conservation”. Download the Most Appropriate Use (MAU) Study (750KB) by DNR.
Capricorn Conservation Council’s position on Tower’s plan is –
• CCC supports the re-development of the resort on the existing 38 hectare site.
• CCC opposes the development of Lot 21 (875 ha) for villas and a golf course. We support the state government’s assessment that Lot 21 be reserved for conservation purposes. The current lease of Lot 21 is for recreation and public access, not real estate.
• CCC opposes the building of a marina at Putney Beach due to the damage that could be caused to the sensitive marine environment in the vicinity including fringing coral reefs. We believe a floating jetty at Fisherman’s beach would be more appropriate.