Peace talk for Bowen pipe plan

A COMPANY proposing to construct a pipeline from the Burdekin River to irrigators in Bowen says it will be looking to contract the council to install part of the pipeline to ease concerns of damage to existing pipework.

The low-flow, $150 million pipeline is pitched to create 3000 permanent jobs in the region, with an 80 year-infrastructure life. However, gaining support for the 100km pipeline has been difficult recently.

Burdekin Mayor Lyn Mclaughlin defended claims Burdekin Shire Council had been the cause of a delay in the project at a community forum in November.

The underground pipeline would run along the state-owned and council-managed Bruce Highway corridor until Home Hill, where it would instead travel underground along Fifth and Sixth avenues, Home Hill.

Bowen Pipeline Company director Sean Brown said Burdekin Shire Council had “said they supported the project but wanted it to go around Home Hill”, a change he says would mean ripping up three agreements with landholders and make the project commercially unviable.

He said they were trying to garner support from all levels of government before lodging applications.

Since a meeting with Burdekin Shire Council, Whitsunday Regional Council and representatives from the Office of Co-ordinator General, Mr Brown said things had slowed down. He said the company was now looking to reignite communication with the council, with a meeting to be held in coming weeks. He said he would be looking to engage the council as a contractor to install the pipeline at Fifth and Sixth avenues to appease concerns that the new pipeline could damage existing infrastructure.

The council hit back, with chief executive Terry Brennan saying it had received no further correspondence “since the last claim that the pipeline project was being held up”.

“If the proponents would like the project to be progressed, they are encouraged to resolve land tenure issues for the proposed pipeline with the State Government,” he said.