Fresh mount plan heeds public views

TOWNSVILLE City Council has made significant changes to its blueprint for Mount Louisa, after nearly 300 ratepayers made their opinions heard.

Stage one of the Mount Louisa Open Space Masterplan has been released, with work expected to begin in November.

The council first announced its plan for new walking tracks, viewing platforms and barbecue areas to boost public access to the natural attraction in April last year before going to community consultation in March this year.

“We received almost 300 individual pieces of feedback on the plans for Mount Louisa and council staff have been working since then to incorporate that feedback and present a revised plan,” Mayor Jenny Hill said.

“It is important to us that we unlock the potential of Mount Louisa for both residents and visitors while minimising impact on the surrounding community – this revised plan does exactly that.”

Changes to the original plan include the relocation of carparking spaces from residential areas to the “fringes” of existing residential areas such as the end of Bayswater Rd, Dalrymple Rd and Liberty Drive.

Walking track access points for the mount have been moved from residential streets to dedicated green corridors.

Residents also raised concerns about “impacts on their lifestyle” because the proposed activities were too intense.

Mountain biking trails have been removed from stage one as a result, buy may be introduced in the future depending on growth.

The number of bird watching hide locations has also been reduced to one and is away from homes to “avoid potential overlooking and privacy concerns”.

A proposed luge was removed.

The Mount Louisa proposal was a key part of the Townsville 2020 masterplan to develop natural landscapes and improve access to recreational facilities.

Division 1 Cr Margie Ryder said it was great to see the end result of the community consultation for stage one.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO US THAT WE UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF MOUNT LOUISA FOR BOTH RESIDENTS AND VISITORS.

also