Difficult calls as city grows
CAIRNS has some hard choices to make as it begins to outgrow its coastal footprint, an Advance Cairns breakfast will hear today.
Incoming CEO Paul Sparshott will give his perspective of Cairns’ growth and recovery at the Shangri-La event.
“I have only been nine days in the job but it is very exciting,” Dr Sparshott said.
“Cairns has an exiting future and has been through some tough times, but Cairns people will come out of it strongly. We could use a hand up, not a hand out, and that is what we will be advocating for.”
Dr Sparshott enters the job with a background in urban planning and transport infrastructure and will be drawing on this experience when lobbying for the region.
Dr Sparshott’s private adDr visory firm, Katarno, has worked on projects including Gold Coast light rail, the development of eco-towns and other transport initiatives.
“The city needs to look at how it intends to grow and expand,” Dr Sparshott said.
“I think it is time to start the conversation about where Cairns is heading into the future.
“It is a lineal city and very confined to its base of flatlands. We are developing on a very narrow strip of coastal land that is rapidly diminishing.”
Sparshott said the wet weather events graphically showed how the road infrastructure struggled to cope in times of pressure.
“We need alternate types of transport other than roads, such as light rail,” he said.
“The current rain shows how the infrastructure is just not working; everything grinds to a halt.”
Dr Sparshott said national strategic repositioning had placed Cairns in an ideal position to capitalise on the security focus on the IndoPacific.
“In terms of infrastructure, the Defence and marine precincts in Cairns are projects with great opportunity,” he said.
The Far North has been recognised as a strategically important location and will soon be a Department of Defence regional maintenance centre.