Mission Beach Master Plan

The CCRC is inviting you to have  input into the Mission Beach Master Plan the outcome of which will set the tone and direction of Mission Beach into the future.  It will determine the character and identity of our town and how it is perceived by locals and visitors.
 
This survey is open and just as relevant for visitors as locals.

It is not about just making  it look pretty. 
​It is imperative that  protection of the natural environment is the priority consideration. 
We have the opportunity to reinforce the community message that has been consistent and documented over decades of community consultation and  involvement.   Mission Beach - naturally!  

You can complete a short survey online on the CCRC website,  or

• Email the project team at: [email protected];  Re: Mission Beach Strategic Masterplan
• More information on the CCRC website here.​

​See below our comments based on the 'Mission Beach - naturally!' branding
​Read  MBC Submission here

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• Our Points of difference - look to our past  to secure our future

​Travellers use World Heritage listing as a guide to places worth visiting. Mission Beach is nestled between two World Heritage Areas and has the  proud reputation of being the birthplace of the Great Barrier reef Marine Park. The efforts of a few dedicated individuals during the  60's and early 70's culminated in the protection of many of the National Parks we enjoy today and for both the Reef and  Wet Tropics Rainforests becoming world heritage listed. This history is relatively unknown even to the local community, many of whom have only settled in Mission Beach in recent years. The community continues their legacy with a strong interest in  protecting the special natural environment at Mission Beach.
The World heritage values are not confined within the world heritage boundaries, the beauty of the rich rainforest growing down to the sea  is why it is called 'Mission Beach 'magic'. 

Following are some comments you might consider incorporating into your own.​

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• Celebrate our local indigenous culture.

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• Reinforce Mission Beach's position as a premiier ecologically sustainable tourism destination  where two world heritage areas meet  and where you have the best chance  to see a cassowary.

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• Help foster community pride and reinforce sense of place,  highlighting our points of difference by telling the stories of our world heritage  areas and our conservation and tourism pioneers. i e E J Banfield,  John Busst and Ninney Rise.

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• Highlight our unique volcanic headland including the cassowary corridor right at the visitor centre connecting two rare rainforest types from the Wet Tropics to the Great Barrier Reef. (Matters of National Environmental Significance.)

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• Rehabilitate the waterway  at the visitor centre and highlight  its importance as a cassowary corridor etc as above.

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• ​Tell the story about the importance of the cassowary to our community, indigenous culture, environment and economy,. 

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• Reinforce the message that Mission Beach is the 'Cassowary Capital' and a 'Slow Down Town'.

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• Sense of Place - Community Identity 

Locals and  visitors  enjoy the low key relaxed village atmosphere of villages set in rainforest separated  by farmland.  The easy access via a short sandy  pathway to the beach from the village adds to the ambiance. 

'Low key development' 'uncomercialised'  and  'wildness'  are  some of the key  words in the feedback received from visitors to  Mission Beach, particularly  international visitors.   The  'unmanicured' nature of the Ulysses walk segues gently from  the natural areas to parkland to the built environments. The granite pathways accentuate the natural character and allow for  natural processes to occur.  A major contributing  factor of the village atmosphere is the low rise buildings. 

Although the scope of the project is between Seaview Street and Boyett Road, particular importance needs to be  given to key locations in the whole of the visual catchment of the Master Planned area, from the first glimpse of the sea at the approach to  town on Seaview St to the hillside backdrop and  access to the  beach.  A wholistic approach to the plan  is integral to maintaining the low key character of Mission Beach.
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The Main Road  cuts through the middle of the village inhibiting the developing of a village centre   Vehicles, particularly buses  dominate  the village and detract  from  the village green.
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Considering the  length of beach at Mission Beach, the exceptionally high natural environment and the presence of  native wildlife, there is an urgent need for clearly  marked and  designated  'no dog' zones.  Even if dogs are on leashes they can disturb nesting shorebirds or turtle nests. Compliance is difficult and costly to  enforce.

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• New structures, buildings and infrastructure in the foreshore do not dominate the natural environment, are low in scale and are architecturally innovative and representative of the coastal village character.
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• Create shade with native  trees (selective cyclone resilient species) as opposed to shade cloth. 


• Encourage shop owners to establish native plant gardens with advice from  CCRC, C4 or Terrain

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• Maintain  natural look  with  granite pathways, avoid over formalising with standard engineering solutions or 'concretisation' wherever possible.

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• Built environment designed to avoid hard edges or jarring bright colours allowing dappled  shade to accentuate the natural ambience of the views of the ocean through rainforest visitas.

 

• Maintain the  Rainforest to Reef experience  with small sandy pathways through the rainforest using beach ladders (if necessary) in preference to  steps onto the beach.
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• Avoid  concrete landscaping especially where proximity to trees inhibits natural processes.

 

• Particular focus  on rehabilitation  and interpretation of foreshore areas  where access is provided from the  village.   

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• The hillside backdrop- to be taken into account in the broader visual context and master planned accordingly. 

 

• Building heights not to exceed two storeys as per the Planning Scheme. 

 

• Carefully selected cyclone resilient native trees to be  planted in new  nature strips  along  Porter Promenade as part of the plan. (Palm Cove could be used as an example of redesigning parking in the village)

 

• Bundle  electricity wires  to allow  trees to be grown both sides of Porter Promenade to form a canopy at the approaches to the village.

 

• Council take control of  management of the road  from Seaview  St to the Jetty to allow for  calming to enhance village centre and provide safe pedestrian access.
  
  
• Remove parking area and extend the village green toward the beach.

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• Relocate toilet block to another  central location away from the Village Green

 

• Provide  off street parking to minimise  vehicles  in the village centre particularly  large buses.

 

• Native Vegetation screening for service or utility zones.

 

• If public art is incorporated into the Plan it should merge with and compliment, not dominate the natural environment, and reflect the natural and cultural values. 

 

• Seating  placed  under shade and built using natural or natural look recycled or sustainable materials. Opportunity for outdoor furniture to be designed and made by local artists and craftspeople.

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• Establish no dog zones at identified wildlife corridors, clearly  sign areas where  dogs can  be on leash and  establish an off leash area (not necessarily on the beach)​ .

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• It is of vital importance to select a consultant who understands native vegetation and development within a World Heritage setting on a cyclone exposed coast. 

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• One Chance to get it right - learn from past mistakes.

Choosing the right consultant is  of utmost importance. In this instance  the  criteria  for selection should not be weighted on being local.  An example of an outcome which failed to reflect community views or sensitivity to the  natural environment is the Bingil Bay Picnic area which went through  lengthy pubic consultation.

The overwhelming community consensus was  to retain the natural feel, for the design to be kept  low key and to include small practical points such as the  angle of the seating.   

The first design was rejected outright by the community  and the second agreed to more out of  frustration  at the  length of time it took than reflecting community views. 

The result  was a signature architecture style resulting in  a hard edged, benched design with the beach Callophyllum trees isolated  by concrete inhibiting natural process. (Another example of this is the Cardwell foreshore)   The large round seeds of the Callophyllum and the  seeds of the  Almond trees also now cause a  safety hazard and staining  on the large expanse of concrete requiring the need for higher maintenance.

The seats are placed parallel instead of right angled to the beach so visitors have a view of the toilet block.   The Bingil Bay Community from Cutten Street now  look  at a  solid brick wall before entering  Alexander Drive when they once could enjoy the  vista of beautiful Bingil Bay beach through the  Callophyllum trees.

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• It is of vital importance to select a consultant  who understands native vegetation and development within a World Heritage setting on a cyclone exposed coast. 

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See below the process of the unsatisfactory outcome where community input was not reflected in the design and subsequent concerns actively ignored.