No decision has yet been made on the future management of the Noosa North Shore Landing Ground, after more than 700 submissions about the site were made during a public consultation period.
Community feedback on two options for the site was sought in April and May via an online survey.
A Department of Environment and Science spokesperson said 722 online responses were received from across Australia. The opportunity to provide feedback in a free text section was also provided.
The spokesperson said a number of face-to-face meetings were also undertaken, including a site visit with representatives from Kabi Kabi First Nation people.
“We would like to express our appreciation to the community for their active participation during the consultation period regarding the future management of the Noosa North Shore Landing Ground,” the spokesperson said.
“We requested community feedback on two options for the future management of the Noosa North Shore Landing Ground via an online survey in April and May: Option 1 – transitioning the area wholly into the Great Sandy National Park; or Option 2 – transferring part of the area to national park tenure and retain part of the cleared landing area as landing reserve or some other form of appropriate tenure.
“The feedback received has highlighted the diverse community views regarding conservation and recreational importance of this land parcel. In addition to responses received during the online survey period, the department also received detailed submissions through key stakeholder engagement.
“We are currently considering all information received during the consultation period as well as conservation values and recreational use of the site to inform recommendations on the future use and most appropriate tenure for the site that is still under consideration.”
The reserve is now under DES’s trusteeship through Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, after it was previously managed by Noosa Council.
Noosa Council closed the airstrip to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in 2014, but hobby activities including hang-gliding, paragliding, microlighting and model aircraft flying were allowed to continue under authorities that have since expired.
Related story: Calls for input on former airstrip site
The QPWS said in April that the reserve had environmental significance as essential habitat for endangered, vulnerable or near-threatened wildlife, including for the vulnerable eastern ground parrot, as well as threatened frog and migratory bird species. Forty-four per cent of the area is also listed as koala habitat.
The reserve is also listed as a High Ecological Significance Wetland, and provides strong connectivity to the surrounding Great Sandy National Park.
Sunshine Coast News asked if a timeline for a decision had been made but did not receive a response.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
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