Wednesday 20 April 2011

by Mat Churchill

D-Day is upon us. The opportunity to provide feedback on Council's proposal for the lagoon pool ends on Thursday, and while some have had their concerns put to rest, others are hoping that their concerns won't fall on deaf ears.

The lagoon pool has been one of the most talked about projects to ever come to Port Douglas, if of course it's delivered. For many it symbolises the opportunity to breath new life into declining tourist numbers, particularly during the wet season. For others it represents a potential white elephant that will see rates soar and the wedding industry crash.

Whatever your stance one thing is certain, Cairns Regional Council has gone to great lengths to highlight the benefits of the proposed lagoon location, and downplay the fears via a thorough community consultation process.

There has been debates over the best location for the pool, the time it has taken to reach this point (it has almost become an urban legend), and even the very need for the project at all.

The term 'misinformation' has been applied by the pro and con lagoon parties with each side saying the facts are being clouded by the other.

"Rates will skyrocket!", "It's too close to St. Mary's!", "They're putting jellyfish in the snorkel trail!" It was even suggested that someone had gone from internet cafe to internet cafe to skew the results of The Newsport Poll on whether the lagoon should be located near St Mary's (the result was ultimately around 50/50). If that's true then I applaud them for their commitment to their cause, but can't help but wonder what that person could achieve if they used their motivation for good instead of evil.

Take part in The Newsport Poll (Right)

Whatever your opinion and whatever it is based on, it appears that it's now or never for the lagoon.

Cairns Regional Council have invested much time and money in promoting the recommendation which has come back from the feasibility consultants. They want it near(ish) to St Mary's and in my opinion it will take a miracle that perhaps only St Mary herself could deliver for them to change their plans.

Some details may be influenced by the public feedback, some won't. But that's fine by me. Governments, whether Federal, State or Local, need some freedom to make decisions. That's why we get the chance to vote them out if they get it wrong.

The Port Douglas Chamber of Commerce has thrown its support behind the proposed plan. President Ken Dobbs is concerned that if the public isn't behind the project the town may miss out on $20 million from the Regional Development Fund. That's a possibility.

Council tells us that rates will rise by around $8.70 per person across the Cairns region. Whether that's an acceptable increase will differ from person to person and family to family.

In a poll run by The Newsport in August 2010 we asked "Is a Lagoon Pool Port Douglas' highest priority?" 147 respondents said 'Yes' while 51 said 'No'.

Nine months on, and with just one day left to give your feedback we're interested in just one question - "Do you support the Council's lagoon proposal?"

Take part in The Newsport Poll (Right)

One thing is for sure, when taking into account the lagoon project as part of the much larger Waterfront Master Plan, and the promise of development as a result of the recent sale of the Sheraton, Port Douglas will be a different place in the years to come.

Exciting isn't it?