More Yorkeys Knob residents join casino-resort debate
Thursday August 7 2013
Yorkeys Knob locals give casino thumbs up
More Yorkeys Knob residents have joined the debate over the new $4.2 billion mega casino-resort planned for the town, concerned the residents group is misrepresenting local attitudes.
Steve Misford has lived in Yorkeys Knob since 2007 and works in duty-free retail at Cairns International Airport. He’s concerned the Yorkeys Knob Residents Association, and spokesman Jim Caldman, are commenting to media as though on behalf of all residents, mistakenly implying a shared negative attitude towards the Aquis development. As The Newsport reported on Monday, Mr Caldman told the ABC the project is like a “steamroller” in the community, and “most people are completely blown away and amazed that such a ludicrous development could happen in such a pristine environmental area.”
“The Yorkeys Knob Residents Association like to say that they promote the causes of residents, but the Association and residents are quite divided, “ Mr Misford said. “It’s definitely going to be a positive thing,” he said of billionaire developer Tony Fung’s proposed Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort, approved as a Coordinated Project by the State Government on Friday. "We're concerned that the Residents Association, or certain individuals, are going to hijack any [media] response."
"In a region that's depressed with unemployment...I just can't see how [people] can look at it in a negative light. The most important thing is that the picture is not portrayed that the people of Yorkeys Knob are saying , “we don't want it”, because that's not the case.”
Mr Misford said his role as committee chairman of a 12-unit Body Corporate and connections with a number of local homeowners and tenants have encouraged numerous positive discussions on the development. “Not one of them has bagged it, they all reckon it's a fantastic idea," he said. "Whether it be because their property [value] is going to go up, or because the local Council has always said Yorkeys Knob is a residential area that doesn't warrant the funding of tourist areas such as Trinity Beach and Palm Cove do, and we believe that now the Council will put a lot more work into the area...Rental properties in Yorkeys Knob that have been struggling for so long to get any tenants (holiday and long-term) will now get snapped up, because the amount of people looking to work and reside in the town will increase.”
Fellow local resident Andrew Gover agreed. He’s lived in Yorkeys Knob for over eight years, and has participated in numerous local community events and the Resident’s Association. “Some of my observations over the years [include] community requests to have streetscape improvement, flood access to the highway (at present it only goes half way), the establishment of medical and pharmacy services, additional amenities for the beach area and so on,” he said. “Clearly the Council must prioritise their funds to greatest needs and as such, little has progressed in this community. I feel that the proposed casino development would have spin-off benefits to the Yorkeys Knob community to see such improvements. A development of such size would not only inject funds to local infrastructure, but would attract further investment that could enhance the amenity of this community.”
Mr Gover said he’s also discussed the development with local friends. “I would describe most reactions to that of shock or surprise at the scope,” he said, “but most feel that there would be more benefit than harm. This area (and, in fact, the greater Cairns area) does suffer from unemployment and commercial stresses. I don't believe that this development would be the answer to all, but with the suggested employment figure, tax revenue and improved community amenity, I feel that I would support this proposal.”
“I understand that a development of such a large scale will have an effect on our community,” Mr Gover said. “After all, a development employing 10,000 people in addition to the guests and residents of the [property] would be a significant contrast to our community population of 3000…the architectural design of the proposed development is not to my taste, but at the end of the day, I would only be driving past.”
Of reported environmental concerns and potential risks to the nearby Great Barrier Reef, Mr Misford and Mr Gover said the proposed land, a flood plain, is already significantly damaged, and the development could improve its quality. “The land they're talking about is already damaged from years of sugarcane farming and they've been complaining for years about all the cane being so close to the waterways and letting into the Reef," Mr Misford said. Mr Gover said he believes “that a properly designed development can manage its impact on the local water ways and, in fact, work towards improving on the present situation.”
In his development submission to the State Government, Mr Fung said James Cook University researchers said the project's proposed environmental planning rules and mitigations "include some positive outcomes for the environment such as vegetation buffer zones and retaining existing vegetation, improving connectivity, and managing water flow and water quality across the site." The submission also explained "great skill and care has been applied to the development process to work with the land, rather than against it and its attributes, and to enhance the quality of the site."
Mr Misford said of the gambling-related concerns, “this development is not for Joe Blow from Manunda or Cairns to come and gamble. It's designed to specifically bring, en masse, Chinese middle and upper class tourists here to gamble…the intention is not for locals to gamble, it's to increase the tourism market here. “
As The Newsport reported, the Aquis development must still gain environmental, social and economic approvals. It’s expected to deliver a major boost to the region, with an estimated 9000 jobs created during construction and 10,000 full-time jobs when operational.
