Wednesday 23 January 2008

Your community newspaper out today

Delivered from Gordonvale to Port Douglas, the complimentary Cairns Community Newspapers, will be in your letterboxes from today.

Besides the Cairns Sun, these localised newspapers provide you with a great read about things happening around your community.


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is another good story in the Northern News today about the 5 story GlenCorp unit development at Clifton Beach. One of the pro development-ites, Councillor Bonneau refused to "Please Explain" to the community about this eyesore and the long term social effects that this series of high density, tall buildings is going to have. Instead, he buck passed to a CCC spokeperson, who plucked out the old excuses, about it always being Res 3 since time immemorial For Christ sakes, we know that - we are not objecting to it being units, we are objecting to just about every other bloody aspect of it though, you morons!

Similarly, there is letter to the CP re loss of natural breezes in a unit block at Trinity Beach. The writer here talks about how all of this summer so far, he and other occupiers of this unit block have to have the A/C all day and night. Just imagine the increase in electricity that is chewed up in Cairns by all these units running maybe more than one A/C in every unit all day and the impact that this is having on green house gases.

In contrast, the last remaining tree (a large mango tree is being cut down as I type) at the Clifton Beach Road development site, removing any possibility of shade, protection, cooling effects etc. The irony here of course that according to the landscaping plans for these 5 story units, there are supposed to be dense plantings to effectively screen the buildings and provide shade. What a joke this is to be removing an existing beautiful and long established tree to plant god knows what that will probably never do the job of screening and is going to take eons to mature.

This Council is a disgrace and should be made accountable for their actions under the IPA. Why are they not?

Anonymous said...

There is another good story in the Northern News today about the 5 story GlenCorp unit development at Clifton Beach. One of the pro development-ites, Councillor Bonneau refused to "Please Explain" to the community about this eyesore and the long term social effects that this series of high density, tall buildings is going to have. Instead, he buck passed to a CCC spokeperson, who plucked out the old excuses, "the land has been zoned for units since 1975... " For Christ sakes, we know that - we are not objecting to it being units, we are objecting to just about every other bloody aspect of it though Stop being deliberately obtuse -its wearing very thin and you are not fooling anyone with this assine comment!

Similarly, there is letter to the CP re loss of natural breezes in a unit block at Trinity Beach. The writer here talks about how all of this summer so far, he and other occupiers of this unit block have to have the A/C all day and night. Just imagine the increase in electricity that is chewed up in Cairns by all these units running maybe more than one A/C in every unit all day and the impact that his is having on green house gases.

In contrast, the last remaining tree (a large mango tree is being cut down as I type) at the Clifton Beach Road development site, removing any possibility of shade, protection, cooling effects etc. The irony here of course that according to the landscaping plans for these 5 story units, there are supposed to be dense plantings to effectively sceen the buildings. What a joke this is to be removing an existing beautiful and long established tree to plant god knows what that will probably never do the job of screening and is going to take eons to mature.

This Council is a disgrace and should be made accountable for their actions under the IPA. Why are they not?

Anonymous said...

To add to Anonymous, these horrific developments won't end with Clifton Beach. As a Council spokesman said, "Where there is land zoned Res 3 this type of development can occur." What more evidence do you need that this Council has passed its use by date. It could stop this appalling type of development if it wanted to but it won't. It's just like Factman trying to convince people that developers are altruistic. If the likes of Hedley or Glencorp cared about Cairns and the community and environment, they wouldn't be building these monstrosities FULLSTOP!

Anonymous said...

The Cairns Plan was vetted twice by the State Government to ensure compliance with the IPA.
Anyway, what makes Clifton Beach so special ... ??
High rise development exists in the next door suburbs of Palm Cove, Trinity Beach and the soon to be new suburb of Port Douglas.
Are you Clifton Beach people "special"?
Thank god this Council treats all of Cairns as one city, not "special enclaves" for "special" people.
Cairns is a rapidly growing city with nowhere to go but up, thanks to that Labor Government in Brisbane "locking" up the land at East Trinity.
There is room for 30,000 folks over there.

Anonymous said...

An article in the Cairns Post today by Matt Byrne (no relation as far as I know)Cairns Branch President of Urban Development Institute, should start to send out the alarm bells to those of you in the new division 10.
He says it "is imperative that development applications and developments continue to be quickly processed during the transition to the new council"
The Material Change of Use will be on it's way. Ex Douglas Shire beware.

Anonymous said...

Factman you've been in a position of huge influence and your views are really frightening. You seem to have no respect for people, for the community or for the environment. You are so out of touch you don't realise how offensive your comments and behaviours are to ordinary people in the community.
On the one hand, I feel sorry for you; such a mean spirit, such a bully, and such a climate of coercion you have created. On the other hand, I feel a sense of glee that you will be out of power in 7 weeks. It's never too late to change. When you are on the outer, you might learn some humility and find time to reflect on what is really important in life.

Anonymous said...

So factman says that high-risers exist in Port Douglas. Funny, I don't see any. The law there is that you can't build above the tree line. Is this an admission from Factman, spokesman for Kevin Byrne, that if they get elected, they will scrap that law and start to build high-risers at Port Douglas as well? We know they want to.

Anonymous said...

as a 30 yr, resident of clifton
I can only agree with most of your
comments.bonneau has wrected our beach and created a ghetto.He must be held accountable
shame bonneau shame
haxton

Anonymous said...

Play the ball "no more bullies', not the man.
I only try to bring a sense of realism to these forums.
Mike Moore would blame the Sept 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre on Kevin Bryne, Sno Bonneau, Terry James and Paul Freebody if he could.
There is far to much of, "get rid of Byrne and all will be alright".
That's nonsense as you will find out if Val and her dreamers get in power.
Everything that happens, apart from collecting your rubbish, cleaning your gutters, supplying your water, (and they want to take control of that as well), treating your poo's and planting toadstools in City Place, is sanctioned by the State Government.
Get used to it because that's how it is.

Anonymous said...

Oh Fictionboy!
Are you still crying about poor little Kev and Warren the Fed doing their best to destroy East Trinity?? Did you have some of your precious “back door” developer contributions invested with them??
Is that why the Liberal/National Candidate said they would allow development over there? You’re an incestuous lot aren’t you!
Going down your list;
Council’s motto re the “Cairns Plan”, to be manipulated in as many ways possible to unsure the greatest benefit to developers, screw everyone else.
Clifton Beach is special because”real” people live there; they have real brains and are really sick of Council’s shit! Go Sno Go and don’t come back!
30,000 people for East Trinity, I can just see you sitting their like that fat fool Homer Simpson drooling over the rates you’ll collect. But wait, if you get a few more kickbacks from Glenncorp, Hedley and CEC you could fit twice as many suckers over there and collect double the rates??
I’ll give you till Sunday to answer re; Amanda Byrne’s unlawful activities.
The public have a right to know!

Enough Rope

Anonymous said...

Well Factman, I've said it before and I will say it again.....

The STATE delegates to the LOCAL GOVERNMENT (the CAIRNS CITY COUNCIL) the power and authority to create and administer a "Planning Scheme" under the Local Government Act.

The COUNCIL grants to Developers the rights;

To "over-ride" the Planning Scheme, or,

To "set aside the provisions" of the Planning Scheme, or,

To have "dispensataions" from the Planning scheme, or to

Have a "Material Change of Use".

In fact, the Council regards the "RIGHTS" of the Developers to "develop" [sic] "their land", as over-riding the "rights" of the Residents to the peaceful enjoyment and amenity of their homes...!

No...No...NO...! Factman...WE all know where the state of the City rests...and it is NOT with the STATE!

Anonymous said...

So troublemaker's partner ...

when Council try to save 3 old Queenslanders from becoming big macs, who steps in and says no, Council must let the developer build his McDonalds.
Answer of course is, that most supreme of State Government Institutions, the Law Courts, in this case, the Planning and Environment Court.

Anonymous said...

For the factman....
Its is unprofessional of you, to be so unfamiliar with CCCs own Planning Scheme.


But let me re-acquaint you with the description for the Beaches as a District in the current CairnsPlan!

The Cairns Beaches District is characterised by a narrow coastal plain flanked on the
east by tropical beaches and on the west by steep, forested hillslopes. Earl Hill,
Taylor Point and Buchans Point are dominant features of the coastline. The
“recognizable character” of each distinct beach community is to be maintained and
enhanced. The District is intended to provide a range of opportunities for residential
living and to provide accommodation and facilities for tourists. The opportunities for
residential living extend from rural residential living in several areas on the western
side of the Captain Cook Highway to conventional residential living throughout the
eastern part of the District and “medium density” residential living in some locations
which are located close to facilities and public transport routes.


Clifton Beach is identified as a “discrete residential community” and it is intended to
remain primarily as an area for conventional residential living, including land along
the Clifton Beach Esplanade. There is scope for the central part of the suburb to be
developed for tourist accommodation and “medium density” residential living,
consistent with the planning intent.

I and many other Clifton Beach residents do not call those 5 storey, tall building monstosities with over 400 units going in down either side of Clifton Road in a narrow strip of land in keeping with "recognisable character" of what is already in Clifton and "medium density. You and this Council are farcial and a) you do not even know what is in the Plan, b)let alone stick to it!

Just what is it that you don't understand or want to understand here factman or is it you and this Council are totally incompetent.