General News
12 July, 2024
Developer stands down
REDLYNCH developer Pat Flanagan has stood down as chairman of a Cairns Regional Council planning and development industry reference group after perceived conflicts of interest were raised by a resident involving his application to create an industrial precinct in the suburb.
Mr Flanagan’s company Bengali Land Pty Ltd has applied for a material change of land use on his Redlynch Intake Rd property to create the “low impact” commercial precinct. The property is currently used as a horse and agistment park.
On Monday night up to 150 residents gathered at the Red Beret Hotel to raise concerns and seek answers about the proposal from Cairns Regional Council.
The meeting was chaired by the council’s interim chief executive officer John Andrejic. It was also attended by the council’s planning director Ed Johnson, lifestyle and community director Destry Puia, senior planning staff, Mayor Amy Eden, deputy mayor Brett Olds, area councillor Kristy Vallely and other councillors Matthew Tickner, Cathy Zeiger, Anna Middleton, and Trevor Tim.
Mr Andrejic told the meeting that that it was not the place to debate the merits or not of the application and council officers would attempt to answer any questions that they were able to.
He said as a result of an email (from resident Margo Dean) and social media postings about a possible conflict of interest between Mr Flanagan, as chairman of the advisory group and the applicant of the Redlynch Intake Rd proposal, he had stood down as chairman of the group.
Mr Andrejic made it clear that at no stage did the advisory group, which involved other developers as well as senior council planning officers, discuss Mr Flanagan’s application nor did it talk about any other planning applications before the council.
Mr Andrejic said the group and council officers had to abide by a strict code of conflicts of interest. A preliminary investigation had found that officers also did not have a conflict of interest in the matter.
The meeting was told Mr Flanagan stood down last Friday (July 5) but Mr Andrejic could not provide an answer to a question why Mr Flanagan (who declined to comment) did not stand down when his application was lodged in May.
All councillors at the meeting declared they did not have conflicts of interest involving Mr Flanagan’s application while Cr Tickner noted that many years ago he was employed by Mr Flanagan for a year but did not consider that to be a conflict today.
Mr Johnson also rejected suggestions that at least one council officer was in favour of the application.
He said it was still being assessed and no recommendations had been made.
Mr Johnson also told a resident that the application could not be rejected at the start of the process. The council was obligated to assess the application and go through the process from submission through to a council decision.
“We have a long way to go,” he said.
Mr Johnson said if the material change of use was approved on the site that fronted Redlynch Intake Rd then there would be “downstream impacts” on possible other uses for the site (such as subdividing into 22 lots), which would not be subject to public notification. He said the council had to take into account the “downstream impacts” when deciding on the initial and current application.
Mr Johnson said possible flood impacts, environmental concerns, such as endangered species, noise (decibel levels), increased traffic and loss of vegetation would all be assessed by council officers.
At one stage Mr Andrejic told residents: “I think we are hearing you loud and clear.”
The meeting was told the process had reached the public notification stage with submissions closing today (July 12).
Mr Johnson said the date for submissions could no longer be extended. Initially the close-off was July 3.
He said during the decision period the council might seek further advice, respond to further issues and then would make a recommendation to the council. Mr Johnson said after the council’s decision, expected on August 28, there would be an appeal period.
