BACK in the 1980s, Christopher Skase knew how to firmly embed his footprint. He saw an opportunity, capitalised on it, created something unique and when the going got ‘hairy’, he made a hasty retreat for others to enjoy.

And when he, along with local businessmen, developed the Mirage Resort and Country Club, you can bet your last dollar a Retirement Community was the last thought on their minds.

Thirty years on, it’s become a necessity. It’s also become a hot topic with sections of the community dead against it, while others supporting the proposed Douglas Retired Community on Ferrero Road.

Not since the recent local government elections has an issue captured the community’s imagination. This much is evident from the flood of letters Newsport has received over the past few days. Those in support offer rational and logical arguments. Those against are vehemently against.

Based on the latest count, those in favour outnumber the naysayers:

Those For -- 13; Those Against – 9.

However, it’s the latter group who have the support of the councillors. With the exception of Port Douglas-based Michael Kerr, developer Steve Thomas, from Waks Developments, cannot count on the other councillors and the mayor to back his proposal. According to Thomas, more than 500 submissions have been sent to Council in support of the project.

The proposed $60 million retirement village, to be built by Waks Developments, would see land off Ferrero Road transformed into a 150-strong villa community and home to a gym, swimming pool, lush gardens, cafes and entertaining areas for people over 50.  However, the overriding caveat is that Council has been staunch in their opposition to any development west of the highway.

It’s worth noting what some of our readers are saying.

Ann Ireland writes: “Could it be that some of our council and members of the community are ‘ageist’? Thank you, Michael Kerr for speaking up on our behalf as I am firmly in favour of the Retirement Community in Ferrero Road. Reading the previous letters a couple of the reasons people are giving against the development are:

“It's on the wrong side of the road; old people will cause accidents crossing or driving on the road; it will bring crime. What rubbish.”

To best understand and underline how this issue has infuriated some, here is Newsport reader Andrea Collisson’s response to Ms Ireland: “Ann Ireland. Rubbish indeed – your miscomprehension of my argument. Let’s hope other people are not as d..t. The retirement village will increase the population of the area and with higher population comes more crime and more road accidents.”

The rhetoric will continue. Common sense will prevail in some sections of the community, while disagreement will dominate others. There are clearly two camps with strong feelings.

Developer Thomas says the councillors will be surprised by the positive response he has received, but is questioning why the only supportive councillor is Michael Kerr who lives in Port Douglas, while the rest reside in Mossman or north. “Is there a Mossman Bias?”