Community & Business
1 November, 2024
Kanjini expansion cut back
THE Kuranda Roots festival future is under a cloud following a decision by Mareeba Shire Council to approve a pared-down application to expand the property where it is held.
Speaking after a council meeting on Wednesday, Svargo Freitag, a director, shareholder and property manager of the Kanjini Co-Op Limited, said the revised Material Change of Use application would stifle future growth and impose more costs to the Co-Op which could affect current events.
“It was good to see that it’s finally over the line after two years, but it’s a bit disappointing that it’s been reduced so drastically that under the current conditions it [future events] might not be economically viable.”
Kanjini is a 28-square-kilometre rural property which hosts bush camping at 13 sites and has successfully held the Kuranda Roots Festival for the past four years.
The original MCU application wanted to expand by adding six more campsites, 10 RV/caravan sites and eight tourist cabins and include two event sites and a function facility, over a four-stage development.
A maximum of 12,000 people would visit the property per year, and no single event would host more than 2,000 people.
Three councillors voted against the motion to approve the “MCU in part with conditions” and Deputy Mayor Lenore Wyatt had left the meeting to abstain. However, Mayor Toppin cast the deciding vote and the motion was carried.
In its assessment of the MCU, the council report said the original proposal had generated significant community concern amongst the wider Kay Road community and was a substantial increase from the single annual Kuranda Roots Festival held at Event Site 1 (Emerald Falls Road) each year.
“In discussions with the applicant, it is apparent that a significant portion of the proposed 12,000 persons per annum scale has been proposed as a means of avoiding any potential future need to seek further State and Council approval. In doing so, this has added unnecessary complexity to the proposed development,” the report said.
“Careful consideration has been given to what would represent an appropriate scale of development for the event sites/function facility aspect... [and] given to the potential noise and traffic impacts, and the applicant will have ongoing obligations to manage both for the life of the development. It is recommended that the application be approved in part with conditions.”
Council heard 39 submissions were received in response to the application with 12 in support. However, the remaining submissions “largely comprising of similar letters” were concerned about noise and traffic impacts for Kay Road.
The new conditions on the approval lower the maximum number of people allowed on the property for all events and functions to 3500 people per year. Event Site 1, which holds the Roots Festival, will be capped at 2000 people at any single event. Event and Functions Site 2 allows for 500 persons per annum, with any single event being capped at 300 persons.
“We’ve had no complaints from the neighbours who are actually closer to Event Site 1 than any objectors are to Event Site 2. There’s been no issues along Emerald Falls Road,” Mr Freitag said.
“The Kuranda Roots festival in itself is attracting anything between 1200 and 2000 people, so the 12,000 number we asked for was to cover when we build a function centre and hold conferences and other exciting events. If we have one event like the Roots Festival and half a dozen functions in a whole year, we have exhausted our 3500 allowed.”
When asked about other newly imposed restrictions including three-day maximums for events, Mr Freitag said: “We’ve been approached by Firesticks Australia to have regional and national events on Buluwai country, which typically attract a few hundred people for four to five days. The last day is celebratory with music and another 500-odd people.
“We’ve been approached for wedding events at our 25-acre lake. We’ve been approached to hold international 1-3 week-long circus training events to teach people to use a trapeze and stuff like that. But with only three days for any event, we can’t do it.”
Another hoped-for event was a singer-songwriter camp for upcoming musicians. The property also provides for community groups and local clubs at reduced rates, or free for charities, environmental scientists, JCU, Indigenous and student groups, Mareeba Mountain Goats, Cairns to Karumba charity bike rides, the Cairns and Tableland Walking Club and birding groups, SES (4WD training) and Parks and Wildlife.
The new MOU also requires the Co-Op to commission additional road and noise studies, and present traffic management plans for every event with more than 100 people, by an approved independent engineering consultant.
Mr Freitag said the costs had already blown out for the application and would continue to rise under these circumstances.
He said he hoped to continue discussions with Council to change the restrictive conditions and allow more community and international events on the property.
