CARA PLANNING MEETING

Meeting starts the process

Around 50 people gathered for the working breakfast at The Hub on 25 March to pool their collective brainstorming talent to come up with ideas on how Cooroy may develop in the years to come, as it copes with the challenges of inevitable growth. Councillors Bolton and Pardon were helpful participants.

MC Richard Hansen capably kept the ideas flowing. These included a general desire to see the town retain its country atmosphere, Lake McDonald development plans, affordable housing, mixed housing zoning, a ring-road around Cooroy, improved Internet speed, an extra toilet block in town, an industrial area with access to the highway, a second retirement village, expansion of Rural Living zoning, clear zoning guidelines for intensive farming proposals, a disaster muster centre, and appropriate zoning for Black Mountain transfer station.

As well, support for local tourism operators, the establishment of a Cooroy farmer’s market, national park status for West Cooroy State Forest, an off-leash area for dogs, and better playground facilities were proposed.

A Broad masterplan for Cooroy needs to be made with the roles of the state and local government in mind. The Elm Street bridge was identified as a major issue, and given that this is a state responsibility, it appears that only extensive traffic holdups or more accidents will push the crossing up the state priority lists. And an improved pedestrian crossing for rail lines also needs state assistance if it is to become a reality.

To the argument that Cooroy is a town divided, it was countered that the town could be recognised for its precincts, and these need to be recognised, strengthened and promoted. If there was a consensus, it was that the town of the future needs to be resident and family friendly, have a vibrant commercial and retail centre, encourage more alfresco dining, institute traffic calming measures, and ensure a sound economic base that includes environmental sustainability.

The future
We plan to put up a web site that will list all the ideas, call for more suggestions, and allow comments from all those who can’t get to meetings, but who still would like a say in the town’s future. Later in the year, CARA and the Cooroy Chamber of Commerce will likely co-host a forum that scrutinise all the best and most viable options, and put together a submission for Noosa Council as it prepares for its new Noosa Plan in 2016.

And now that our local state member, Peter Wellington, is in a strong position to help us with our aims, we plan to meet with him once we have a clear idea of how best he could assist us.