Wednesday 16 January 2008

No to Douglas Shire staff

The Douglas Shire Council has decided not to allow any staff involvement in assisting with the drafting of the proposed Icon Legislation.

Therefore there is no ability for the Mayor to use Douglas Shire staff expertise to engage in any community consultation.

According to the Shire, there is an unrealistically tight State Government timeline, and are required to provide a submission to the Minister in a matter of weeks.

Mayor Berwick is trying to secure funding from the State Government to assist us with this process.

As a result of these circumstances a steering committee has been established to assist the Mayor to input into the drafting of this legislation. The steering committee consists of representatives from tourism, agriculture and conservation.

The Douglas Shire Sustainability Group is represented on the steering committee and will be sending a submission, however would like to offer the public input into this process.

Here is a list of what are perceived as iconic places/values that are not already protected by the current planning scheme because they are not specifically identified in the town plan or their governance comes under another authority (for example EPA or Main Roads).

You should email your response no later than this Friday 18th January.

The DSSG lists the following as iconic places/values; however, we acknowledge that this list is not exhaustive:
  • Road reserves – (for example, there are no billboards allowed under our local laws);
  • Oil palms lining Port Douglas Road;
  • The Daintree Ferry
  • Heritage buildings and sites - (for example, The Bump Track);
  • Coastal Zones
  • Islands and reefs surrounding Douglas Shire
  • The entire Port Douglas waterfront (the planning scheme only applies to parts of it)
  • The Captain Cook Hwy (as a scenic drive)

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