A local group at Airlie Beach are fighting a new high-rise hotel development. Source: Damien Dempsey, Wikimedia Commons
Locals at the popular tourist destination of Airlie Beach are battling a high-rise hotel development which they say will majorly disrupt the area’s pristine beach side setting.
The hotel, a 12-storey building, was initially approved by the Whitsunday Regional Council, saying it would bring necessary accommodation and jobs to the region.
Save Our Foreshore, a local group, has taken their battle with the development to Queensland’s Planning and Environment Court. The group has so far raised $100,000 dollars to fund this fight.
Suzette Pelt, a spokesperson for Save Our Foreshore, said, “It’s very hard to understand what the Whitsunday council is thinking.”
“When it comes to the foreshore and waterfront, it’s all low rise and it’s really important that the Whitsundays keeps that image because it’s why people come here.”
Ms Pelt said that despite many objections, the council pushed ahead with the high-rise development. She said that many of those objecting to the development said, “if we wanted high rise, we’d go to the Sunny Coast or the Gold Coast.”
Ms Pelt said the group would need at least 250 to 350 thousand dollars to cover growing court costs.
The Whitsunday Regional Council, however, is not backing down.
Director of Development Services, Neil McGaffin, said that these changes to the foreshore, despite people’s objections, are important for economic growth.
“History shows us that nothing much new has been built in the past 10 years,” McGaffin said.
“There’s a lot of 5-star or 4-star hotels that are now starting to age. So, it’s time to renew or rebuild or construct a new one.”
McGaffin also said that he doesn’t believe this development will lead to Airlie Beach becoming built-up like the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast.
“The Airlie commercial area is really quite small, and I expect we won’t get too many more buildings of this height, if any,” he said.
“The point is that given the number of passengers and flights coming into the airport and boats coming in through the marinas and cruise ships bringing thousands of people in, there’s no doubt change will occur.
“It’s controlling that and managing that the best we can.”
But Ms Pelt said that fundraising efforts to fight the development will continue.
“We just hope that common sense prevails, and the community comes out on top in this,” she said.
