• Mayor speaks out on lagoon
• Council is listening to public, says Mayor
• Hunt design would struggle for approvals

by Mat Churchill

Mayor Val Schier has defended the Council's lagoon pool process, and denied that they are not listening to people's concerns.

The Urban Design Advisory Board, which provides advice to Council and consists of landscape designers, architects, and town planners among others, met with the Mayor in Port Douglas earlier this week to inspect the proposed site.

"I spent three hours walking on that site with the Urban Design Advisory Board...It was very interesting because some of those professionals, who are external to Council, were actually providing advice to Gary (Hunt, who was also present) on how option four (the Council's proposed option) could work," Mayor Schier said.

She said being on site with the Advisory Board gave a better insight into the challenges Mr Hunt's preferred lagoon location would present.

"When you're actually on site you realise that the Rex Smeal option is too narrow and is problematic. We then looked at how high the sea wall would need to be for it to be in the tidal zone that Gary's talking about, and what that's going to do to the view corridors.

"They also made suggestions as to what could happen, how there could be a changed entry to St Mary's as well as use landscaping options to prevent an issue if there was a funeral on. I really value the advice of the Board.

"They certainly all went up there with a really open mind about the four options and provided advice. I was really please to be part of that discussion."

Mayor Schier said Mr Hunt's proposal would struggle to get the required approvals.

"I personally have grave concerns for Gary's proposal in the tidal zone would ever get Department of Environment approval. 20 years ago it might have done, but we have a very different lot of issues now in relation to coastal management, environmental management, tidal zones, storm suge, climate change, all of those things that make it very difficult."

She said that the issue of the size of the proposed lagoon, which has been criticised for being too small, has been blown out of proportion.

"Can I just say I just reckon the size is not an issue. Blokes worried about size I don't know! The thing is you look at your spaces, you look to what you want to achieve.

"The reality is people might choose to go to Mossman Gorge and swim instead, people are going to make choices about where they want to go.

"In Cairns the vast, vast majority of people don't go in the pool. They walk past it, they have their photo taken in it, they sit and have a coffee and look out over it, they'll get one of the barbecues nearby. I just don't think we should get hung up on size."

Mayor Schier said respects Mr Hunt and welcomes his feedback.

"I think Gary is really passionate about this and I respect him and admire him, and I'm certainly very open to listen to his views...I think Gary was frustrated because he believed he wasn't being listened to. It's very, very important that all the views are listened to."

Mayor Schier was adamant that the Council was not selling the proposal recommended by the consultants.

"The reason I spent three hours there looking at it is because, me as the Mayor of the Council, want to hear as many different views as I can, and that's what Councillors will be looking at.

"What happened was the consultants came up and looked at four areas and came up with a preferred site. The whole idea was to validate that. Have they got it right? Have they stuffed it up? Are there alternatives?

"I think people did have a chance to put their views in," Mayor Schier said but added it may have been advantageous for people to be taken through the site.

"I'm obviously concerned if there's a huge amount of emotion getting in the way and people feel they're not getting listened to, we've just got to make sure all of those views are taken into account.

"I really think there should be on site meetings, and some attempt to be made to mark out where things should happen...Even if we had some Council staff and other designers and people there actually doing a walk around for interested residents, (it) might be one way of people getting a better understanding of the whole site."

Mayor Schier said that the option of a lagoon behind the Surf Club on Four Mile Beach may be popular with locals, but would not drive economic development.

"Can I be really clear about this. This is about an econimic boost as well as the social value of residents enjoying the pool. I'm very much aware of those empty shops in Macrossan Street. If there's a way of ensuring we can make that whole area more dynamic and vibrant and attractive then we're going to look at that."

On the use of consultants from outside our region she stated that the knowledge and expertise of people who have experience in projects such as lagoon pools is invaluable.

"How many lagoons have been built in this region in the past 30 years? One. Of course we're going to get people from down South...Let's not have a chip on our shoulder. Let's be big enough to acknowledge that there are people from outside our area who are creative, who are innovative, who are experienced and who have ideas.

"We decide whether we take their recommendations on board or not. Ultimately it's decided here, they're not making decision for us."