Planning for a sustainable future

By Cr Peter Sheedy

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Planning is one of the most important issues I see across the broad range of services delivered by Mackay Regional Council through its Corporate Plan.

Development planning is a critical part of council's work because it helps ensure future growth is sustainable in every sense of the word and does not have a detrimental impact on existing residents, businesses, clubs and community activities across the region.

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Council invests significant resources in establishing and maintaining a planning scheme that guides development and helps ensure applications meet appropriate standards. Whether the proposal is for residential development, a retirement village or a business, it is important that developments can be supported by safe access, water supply, sewerage, waste disposal, power and communications infrastructure.  

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Council must also consider State Government planning policies, including the protection of good-quality agricultural land. I believe these policies exist for good reason. They reflect lessons learned from development across Australia and other parts of the world, where productive agricultural land has often been lost to other uses. Protecting our ability to produce food and fibre remains important for both economic and community wellbeing.

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In our region, the sugar industry has a significant footprint and is supported by extensive infrastructure. Mills, cane rail networks and transport systems all play an important role in ensuring the annual crop can be harvested, processed and delivered to domestic and international markets. In my opinion, this interconnected system highlights the need for careful long-term planning.

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One of council's biggest challenges is balancing the interests of different stakeholders. There are often competing priorities and council must consider the broader community benefit while ensuring essential services can continue to operateeffectively.  

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Council's 2016 Planning Scheme is now approaching 10 years of operation and is due for review. As we begin that process, I believe we should focus on aligning our planning policies with the long-term outcomes we want for the region.  

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Our primary production areas supporting the sugar cane industry form the foundation of an important annual crop that relies on a wide range of supporting services and infrastructure beyond the mills themselves, highlighting the need for careful alignment in planning and policy.  

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While communities evolve over time, I believe we should align policies and planning to ensure we don’t make the mistakes of the past and unnecessarily fragmenting precious agricultural land when other suitable land is available for uses such as residential development.  

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Planning, rating and other council policies should work together to support the long-term preservation of our valuable agricultural land for future generations.

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