Planning Issues relate to current plans being developed in Far North Queensland that are likely to impact on the environment of the Kuranda area. There are likely to be three major planning exercises that impact on Kuranda in 2007.

FNQ 2025 is a major regional plan funded by the Queensland Government to replace the existing FNQ 2010 plan. Where the 2010 plan was effectively advisory in nature, relying on Councils which had signed off on it to adhere to its recommendations, the new 2025 plan will have the authority to require Councils and other agencies to adhere to its outcomes. There will be a year long preparation period which will see the involvment of various community groups in the planning process, administered by the Department of Local Government. CAFNEC (Cairns and Far North Environment Centre) is hoping to employ a part time worker to deal with the planning issues which arise, in consultation with other regional environment groups. Kuranda Envirocare has endorsed this approach and expects to be involved in the discussion which arises over the 2025 plan, and will no doubt seek to have input at the public consultation stage.

The Myola Plan is expected to be released for public consultation during 2007, possibly in the early part of the year. An earlier Myola Study looked at the potential for the Myola area west of Kuranda to be subdivided for urban development, while preserving the environmental values of this partly forested area adjacent to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Kuranda Envirocare was heavily involved in the earlier Myola Study, but has been largely locked out of the planning that has occurred within Government Departments during the development of the current Myola Plan. Mareeba Shire Council has already made recommendations relating to the new planning document, and it is expected that community consultation will soon occur. As this development is inextricably linked to the upgrade of the Kuranda Range Road, and the need for further room for the urban expansion of Cairns, it will have a huge impact on the whole of Kuranda, with an eventual population increase possibly of the order of 10,000 people. Kuranda Envirocare will seek to influence the new plan through the public consultation process.

The Mareeba Shire Plan is going to be upgraded during 2007, according to a Mareeba Shire Council press release. As such an upgrade would not normally occur at this time, it is not know why this is being considered now. Kuranda Envirocare, after consulting with the local community, made a very detailed submission when the new planning scheme was prepared under the Integrated Planning Act just a few years ago. We have constantly sought to have the precious environment of Kuranda protected, and will continue to lobby hard to preserve environmental values in our area and in the shire generally. No dates are known for this process as yet.