Plan B for ecoresort: 46 lots

THE company behind a proposed $650 million eco-resort at Kuranda has come up with plan B if the project is knocked back by the State Government.

Reever and Ocean Ltd has applied to the Mareeba Shire Council to divide 66ha of the northern part of its 626ha site into 46 rural-residential lots.

But the move has angered residents who have bombarded the council and senior ministers with their objections contained in form letters.

KUR-World development manager Mark Lawson said the subdivision application was not related to the KURWorld Environmental Impact Statement.

“In the event that KURWorld doesn’t proceed, we want to have as many options available, one of which is the subdivision of the site,” he said.

Mr Lawson said the original application, made by Reever and Ocean, on January 18, 2018, sought “to preserve development rights afforded by the council’s superseded planning scheme, which contemplated urban scale subdivision of land within the Myola zone”.

“The introduction of the council’s current planning scheme in July 2016 removed the Myola zone that allowed for urban scale subdivision, instead placing the land in the rural zone,” he said.

“The subdivision has been reduced in scale from 179 lots to 46 lots as part of a recent change application and we have done this to reduce the overall traffic impacts and to pull back from the more sensitive parts of the site.

“This more environmentally sensitive subdivision has the support of a number of locals.”

In the form letter the objectors said: “It appears that Reever and Ocean’s KURWorld eco-resort with the promised hundreds of jobs, golf course, accommodation, swimming pools, tennis courts and restaurants are now to be replaced by a non-urban real estate subdivision.”

“It would appear that the significant changes have now been made to the original application to circumvent Main Roads (Department) and other state and federal concerns raised in the EIS.”

They want the application rejected “because it is based on an outdated 15-year-old planning scheme and 18 months of extensions and now includes a significant change”.

Mareeba Mayor Tom Gilmore said the development application would be treated on its merits under the laws and regulations of the council.

He said senior staff were “contemplating” the application and the council would not be “motivated” by the history of the property or the “excitement” of residents.

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