Whitsunday Regional Council stands by development decision

Whitsunday Regional Council Chief Executive Officer, Rod Ferguson, said the request by the developers of the Whitsunday Paradise Estate to amend the existing infrastructure agreement was simply not a good long-term outcome for the ratepayers of the region.

Earlier this year, the developers of Whitsunday Paradise requested that Council agree to offset 100% of the costs of providing water and sewer infrastructure to the estate and de-commissioning of the existing on-site sewerage treatment plant against infrastructure charges.

Mr Ferguson said if Council had agreed to the request by the developer, the infrastructure costs over the length of the project, estimated at $20 million, would have to be subsidised by ratepayers.

“Entering into such an agreement would have cost ratepayers a lot of money for a long period of time,” Mr Ferguson said.

“Whitsunday Regional Council welcomes development and deals with multiple developers across the region. The concept of infrastructure charges applies to all development to ensure that ratepayers are not left with a long-term burden when dealing with demands on infrastructure.

“Council gave the green light to Stage 3 of the development in October last year, subject to conditions, like every other development it has approved in the Whitsunday Region.

“These conditions require the applicant to provide services to their development, such as water supply, sewerage, roads and drainage as well as infrastructure charges towards future community infrastructure needs.

“Every developer pays infrastructure contributions, and based on expert legal advice, Councillors unanimously made the decision in February 2021 to reject the request to ensure no financial burden falls on both current and future Whitsunday ratepayers.”

Since April 2021, Council and the developer have attended court proceedings at the Planning and Environment Court to resolve these matters, with the next review listed for 7 October 2021.