Wave park developer happy to follow the processes, hopeful of construction beginning next dry season
SPECIAL FEATURE PART TWO
Yesterday, in part one of this special wave park feature with founder Dave Imgraben we learnt about the benefits such a project would have for the Douglas region.
Today, we hear more from Dave about following the right processes regarding the project and when we might see locals riding their first break at the park in the future.
THE OBJECTIONS
It would be a fair assessment and statement to claim a project like this comes with its detractors.
Months ago, a lodged appeal was submitted to the Environment and Planning courts by a joint local sector who do not want the $317M project to proceed on the basis that the proposed development is an “inappropriate use of the land”.
At the time the lodged appeal tendered collectively by Chiodo Corporations and Douglas shire sustainability group and individual appellants Colin Musson, Renata Musson, Josh Gibson and Hilary Kuhn stated, “the proposed development is inconsistent with the community expectation in the locality in light of the serious non-compliances with (the) planning scheme, particularly in relation to the loss of rural land”.
(Such as) “built form and height which is not contemplated by the rural zone, loss and fragmentation of good quality agricultural land and adverse impacts on the land use, concerns around adequate infrastructure servicing and potential ecological, water, amenity, flooding and traffic impacts.”
Mr Imgraben is respectful of the process and told Newsport everyone deserves to have their say.
With that said, he reiterated that every measure in the planning and design phase has been taken and completed to ensure the land at the site does not suffer negative long term effects.
“We’ve been working on this for four years, we’ve done all of the environmental studies,” he reiterated.
“All studies show us what we’re actually going to do on this site is nothing but beneficial for this particular site.
“We’ve used local scientists and engineers, used local zoologists, local botanists, local eco scientists, just about every ‘ologist’, that you could think of, we’ve had on site.
“We must have 10,000 pages of documentation; I’ve always been really open and happy to discuss any problems or queries that people might have.
“When Douglas Shire Council approved this development it was a unanimous approval amongst Councillors.
“We did a lot of work and made a really good submission to the Council, We’re very confident this will go ahead - and we’re hopeful, the sooner the better.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
“(We’ve) pretty much gotten all of the approvals. As has been mentioned there is an appeal currently lodged with (the) Planning and Environment Court (that’s been) running for nearly six months now. It’s a process, we’re respectful of that and things still need to play out. Everyone has a right to have their say,” he said.
“(In a perfect world) I’d love to be able to physically start the project next dry season, for example, (in) April, May (or) June (of 2023).
“(I’d say) (all being well, with the right approvals and everything rightly lined up) within 15 months (from that above timeframe) (we) might be able to get a wave going in the park for people to enjoy.
“Not all the construction would be completed in that time; as far as water bodies are concerned, they have to go in first and everything follows after that.”
Thank you!
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