Industry site has nod
A NEW industrial engine room driving the Cairns economy is about to be opened up to investors.
The Queensland Government will today declare a State Development Area over an 856ha parcel of land at Wrights Creek, setting the scene for major industrial growth south of the city.
The State Government has been at loggerheads with Cairns Regional Council which argued sufficient industrial land already existed.
State Development Minister Cameron Dick said the region would run out of viable industrial land unless the SDA was safeguarded.
“If we assume that Cairns won’t grow and don’t plan for it do to so, then this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – quite simply, growth cannot occur,” he said.
Mr Dick said the SDA would support the region’s growing intermodal and freight industry, warehousing, heavy and civil engineering, and create opportunity for biofutures, advanced manufacturing and defence industries.
Mulgrave Mill owner MSF Sugar, initially the scheme’s chief detractor, signed a memorandum of understanding with the government in October last year. Mulgrave MP Curtis Pitt said those negotiations resulted in 60 per cent of the SDA being protected for rural purposes to support cane supply to the mill, or set aside for environmental purposes.
“I am pleased that there will be parcels of land that will be used for agricultural purposes, which will be welcome news for those who want to see the Mulgrave Mill and agriculture-reliant regional projects continue to thrive,” he said.
A draft development scheme will be prepared, along with consideration of a second stage supporting MSF’s cogeneration plant plan – a development that could be used to power the rest of the SDA industries.
Mr Dick said the chosen area north of Gordonvale benefited from its proximity to the Bruce Highway and North Coast rail line.
“Importantly, within the SDA, the Co-ordinator-General can make doing business easier for any investors through upfront detailed land use and infrastructure planning and by offering a onestop shop to streamline development assessment processes,” he said.