Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study/media/projects/c/caboolture... · 2010. 9. 22. · Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study Final Impact Assessment and Land Use Transport

Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor StudyFinal Impact Assessment and Land Use Transport Strategy

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1. INTRODUCTION

This is the Executive Summary of the Caboolture toMaroochydore Corridor Study (CAMCOS) ImpactAssessment Study (IAS) and Land Use TransportStrategy report which now incorporates feedbackreceived on the draft IAS. This summary documentand the main report, represents the consultant’sfindings from Stage 3 of the study and are the finaldocuments prepared by the CAMCOS study team.

1.1 Background

The Sunshine Coast along with much of southeastQueensland is experiencing enormous growth. Highlevels of growth have been maintained since the mid1970s, but if these trends continue unabated, theSunshine Coast could expect its population toexceed 1Million people by about 2040-2050. Thisgrowth has implications for the areas transportsystem, because without some major changes,Sunshine Coast residents could soon findthemselves experiencing significant congestion on adaily basis. A big hurdle for strategic studies suchas this, is the fact that at present, many residentscurrently experience relatively little congestion andtherefore find it hard to comprehend the need formajor change. Unfortunately, if future planning isnot undertaken now, many of the opportunities tomake a significant difference could be lost.

The ability of the Sunshine Coast economy todevelop and support the forecast populationexplosion will depend on the quality of travelavailable. As the region becomes more self-contained, a quality public transport service willprovide better opportunities to help meet thetransport demand of the region. If however theSunshine Coast develops as a predominantlysatellite region with a net migration of workers out ofthe area, then a quality public transport link from theCoast will also support this form of development.

1.2 The Need for Public Transport

The travel demand generated by this growthunderlines the need to plan for a more sustainabletransport system. If the current trends continue, by2011 on the Sunshine Coast:

q Population will have increased by 70%;q Trip times will increase by around 35%; andq The amount of car travel on the local roads will

increase by more than 300%.

Adding new road capacity would provide someshort-term relief, however a strategy based solely onproviding more and more new road space is notconsidered a viable long-term solution. Becausepeople either choose or are forced to live furtheraway from where they work, the increased distance

being travelled, places greater pressure on thetransport infrastructure. This leads to greater airpollution and other impacts on people’s quality oflife. As the number of people living and working onthe Sunshine Coast grows, the high costs of cardependency are becoming noticed through:

q Financial costs of providing additional roadcapacity;

q Environmental costs of air pollution; andq Increasing congestion and impacts on business

and industry.

What is needed is a major shift towards moreefficient, environmentally sustainable modes oftransport, which can provide people with access andmobility, without the undesirable impacts, andinefficiencies of single occupant vehicle travel.

By working now to plan for better public transport forSunshine Coast residents, it is possible to curb andperhaps reverse the trends. CAMCOS offers part ofthe solution to the Sunshine Coast becoming lessdependent on private motor vehicles. However, itdoes require some long term planning to identify andprotect a suitable dedicated corridor and acommitment from all levels of Government to worktogether and towards more integrated solutions.

Both the Regional Framework for GrowthManagement (RFGM) and the Integrated RegionalTransport Plan (IRTP) have been formulated on theprinciples of ecologically sustainable development.CAMCOS was initiated from this process and its themain objective is to identify a corridor that maximisesthe benefits in terms of transport planning. That isnot to say to ignore all environmental considerations,but rather to maximise the benefits of a transportcorridor with due regard to the environment. Thestudy team identified that this was best expressed interms of the following:

“To identify and preserve an alignment for thepossible extension of rail to Maroochydore thatmaximises the public transport opportunities andbenefits without unacceptable impact upon theenvironment.”

The RFGM identifies Maroochydore as a keyregional centre and the preferred location forGovernment services, facilities and infrastructureprovision. It also identified the need for a publictransport system on the Sunshine Coast andrecommended an investigation of an appropriatesub-regional transportation network focusing onMaroochydore and linking with the north coast railline. Also recommended was the development of anappropriate sub-regional transport network toprovide better accessibility to the regional scalefacilities to be provided at Maroochydore.


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The Integrated Regional Transport Plan (IRTP) forSouth East Queensland builds on these principles,and provides the specific context for this study. Thisdocument addresses the transport challenge facingSouth East Queensland as a result of projected andsustained population growth into the next century.The key aim of the IRTP is to moderate, rather thantry to satisfy unrestrained traffic growth. To achievethis, it establishes 2011 targets for increased use ofpublic transport, ride sharing, walking and cycling. Itis hoped that combined, the achievement of thesetargets will reduce the number of vehicle trips on theroad system by 1.3 million trips each day and alsoreduce the predicted travel demand by nearly 20%.

1.3 What is proposed?

As a result of a detailed evaluation into the relativeshort and long term merits of bus and rail basedsystems, it was concluded that a rail based systemwould best satisfy the long term environmental, landuse / socio-economic and transportation benefitsoutlined in the RFGM and the IRTP.

The IAS report discusses the sensitivity testing thatwas undertaken to arrive at this conclusion. Althoughpassenger rail is more expensive than dedicatedbusway and has more stringent engineeringparameters controlling its design, these disbenefitsare offset by its ability to promote the objectiveslisted above.

Further, examples throughout the world confirm thatpassenger rail is positively able to drive intensifiedland use and development within and around theinfrastructure. Few busway examples can match thisobservation. Investment in such permanentinfrastructure is able to encourage confidence in theprivate sector to invest capital in developmentprojects adjacent to the corridor.

The Sunshine Coast is in a strong position where asuitable corridor presently exists in close proximity tothe existing and future population growth areas. Inaddition, a station can be located close to the heartof the Maroochydore regional centre. Thisopportunity supports the need to protect this corridorand to take steps now to work towards thedevelopment of a much better public transportsystem. The later sections of this ExecutiveSummary discuss some of the evaluationsundertaken and recommend a range of practicalshort, medium and long term transportimprovements.

1.4 The Scheme

1.4.1 Beerwah to Caloundra Road

The proposed alignment leaves the North Coast railline north of the centre of Beerwah (and the existing

station), at a point adjacent to Montrose Street. Thescheme crosses Glass House Mountains Road andtraversing in a north easterly direction, enters theBeerwah State Forest. Within this State ownedplantation forest the alignment crosses BluegumCreek and also Bellbird Creek on land owned by theState Government.

Passing to the south of Fraser Road (located withinthe Beerwah State Forest) the scheme crosses twomore tributaries of Bluegum Creek before crossingMellum Creek. The scheme continues east withinland used for State forest and crosses variousaccess roads and tracks used for forestry purposes.Within the State forest the alignment would be raisedon embankment to set the route above flood levels.It passes south of Alf’s Hill before crossing (on along bridge structure) over the Bruce Highway.

The corridor then continues on embankment in aneasterly direction within privately owned plantationforest traversing to the north of the point where theNorth and South arms of Bells Creek bifurcate. It isproposed to cross the north and south arm of BellsCreek and associated floodprone wetland areas on aviaduct structure.

The alignment continues in an easterly direction to apoint on the south easterly edge of a parcel landowned by the Department of Natural Resourceswhere the alignment changes direction andcontinues north towards Caloundra Road. Theparcel of land owned by DNR is an area proposedfor designation as a National Park. In travellingnorth the alignment passes west of Pelican Watersand Golden Beach. A station is proposed on thewestern edge of the Pelican Waters development.

Continuing north, the scheme crosses LameroughCreek. In this location, the proposed alignmentagain crosses into land owned by DNR (theproposed National Park). Continuing north, passesthrough the site of a former landfill to the south ofCaloundra Road. At this point is it proposed tolocate a large commuter station with car parking anda range of other support functions. Just south ofCaloundra Road it traverses through part of theRotary Park.

1.4.2 Caloundra Road to the Mooloolah River

The proposed scheme crosses Caloundra Road tothe west of the Nicklin Way roundabout at a height ofapproximately +13.3m AHD, being 7.0m aboveCaloundra Road.

Directly north of Caloundra Road is the LapidaryClub and Duckholes Creek Reserve which is an areaof Open Space. Further north of this is a lightindustrial estate serviced by Enterprise Street whichthe route would bridged. Two industrial properties


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would be required north of Enterprise Street. To thenorth of this industrial area is an area of State ownedland that is heavily vegetated and that rises towardsSugar Bag Road which sits on top of a ridge line. Tomaintain satisfactory grades a section of tunnelwould be necessary to pass through the ridge underSugar Bag Road. This tunnel would beapproximately 300m long, located 10m below SugarBag Road and of single track construction tominimise initial costs. Any future duplication throughthis section would involve construction of a secondtunnel. The tunnel is expected to be built using atunnel boring method. This would allow itsconstruction to take place without affecting theground above, and avoid excessive vibration andnoise that may be caused by blasting. Tunnel spoilwould be used for embankment construction at otherareas along the route.

Upon exiting the tunnel the alignment passesthrough the area of Aroona and follows a heavilyvegetated gully line in a north westerly direction. Inthis area the alignment passes through and causesseverence to a number of large residential blocks(thought not affecting the dwellings) north of MareeStreet. The alignment then passes between twoareas of recently constructed low density residentialproperties located on either side of the alignment.This is a pinchpoint between these areas which isapproximately 100m wide. No residential propertieswould be directly affected by the alignment in thisarea. Through this section, the alignment would beconstructed on a low level viaduct structureapproximately 1–1.5m above ground level to provideflood immunity to the line.

The scheme crosses Kalana Road at a height ofapproximately +8.5m AHD. It is proposed thatKalana Road/Sunset Drive be taken over the routeon structure at a maximum level of about +16.5mAHD. On the northern side of this road it isproposed to locate Aroona Station. Beyond theproposed station site, the rail alignment continues ina northerly direction elevated on a 700m length ofviaduct to cross Currimundi Creek, to minimiseimpacts through this sensitive area.

North of Currimundi Creek the alignment enters theKawana Multi-Modal Transport Corridor (MMTC),which is already in place and passes through thecoastal lowland area of Meridan Plains. This corridorhas been previously dedicated for roads and a publictransport facility in an Infrastructure Agreementbetween Kawana Waters and the State Government.CAMCOS intends to utilise the eastern part of thecorridor allocated for public transport. The majorityof this multi-modal corridor has already been clearedby Kawana Waters as part of their developmentactivities. Three stations are proposed in the MMTCsection, namely ‘Erang Street’, ‘Town Centre’ and‘Parrearra’.

1.4.3 Mooloolah River to Central Maroochydore

The Kawana Multi-Modal Transport Corridor ends atParrearra, and from here the route alignmentcontinues north along the Sunshine Motorway.Three options have been considered along thissection of Motorway between the Mooloolah Riverinterchange and where the route diverges intoMaroochydore. The options are eastern, central andwestern. The options are all confined within theexisting motorway reserve except along themotorway beyond Sugar Road where the easternroute alignment encroaches outside of the motorwayreserve at some points. While more expensive, thewest option was preferred on social, cultural andoperational grounds.

A large commuter station is proposed on the westernside of the motorway on land currently used byCouncil as a landfill site. The station would caterpredominantly for commuters and have a largenumber of associated car parking spaces. Theproposed access arrangements to the station is stillto be agreed with Council.

As the rail line diverges from the Motorway to enterMaroochydore, it would be located parallel and eastof the proposed Southern Access Link Roadbetween it and Horton Park Golf Course. Onapproach to the Maroochydore station the rail levelreduces again to +3.6m AHD which will be 0.6mabove the proposed Southern Access Road anddeveloped ground level. The 100 year ARI eventlevel in this area is approximately +3.0m AHD. Thisplaces rail and formation below the standard floodclearance height, and some formation protectionmeasures will be required. The rail line stops justsouth of Plaza Parade where a station andinterchange facilities would be provided.

1.4.4 Central Maroochydore to Maroochy Airport

As Plaza Parade is the terminus point forMaroochydore, to continue north to the Airport, thepublic transport services would have to retrace theirsteps and return to the Motorway. This route wouldrejoin the motorway to the west of a heavilyvegetated block of land owned by DMR. It isproposed to continue the alignment along themotorway (contained within road reserve) on theeastern side to Bradman Avenue where anotherstation is proposed. Continuing north a newcrossing of the Maroochy River is required adjacentto the motorway crossing. After the river crossing,the alignment continues within road reserve on theeastern side of the motorway to a point west of theMaroochy Airport. Another large commuter station isproposed on the motorway at the terminus point forthe scheme.


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2. ENVIRONMENTALIMPACT ASSESSMENTPROCESS

State Agencies, desk and field studies and publicconsultation, identified the environmental and socialissues examined as part of the Impact AssessmentStudy exercise. Reference was also made to theappropriate legislation and the project Terms ofReference.

The topic areas identified to be addressed include:

q Planning policy context;q Ecology;q Cultural heritage;q Hydrology and water quality;q Air quality;q Noise;q Landscape and visual effects;q Socio economic; andq Traffic movement and access.

Significance criteria – where possible andappropriate, for each environmental subject, a set ofsignificance criteria has been developed. Theoverall significance criteria against which theindividual effects have been assessed are presentedbelow:

Severe: Only adverse effects are assigned this levelof importance as they represent key factors in thedecision-making process. These effects aregenerally, but not exclusively, associated with sitesor features of national importance. However, achange in a state or regional scale feature or sitemay also enter this category. Typically, mitigationmeasures are unlikely to remove such effects.

Major: These effects are likely to be importantconsiderations at a district or local scale but, ifadverse, are potential concerns to the project,depending upon the relative importance attached tothe issue. Mitigation measures and detailed designwork are unlikely to remove all the effects upon theaffected communities or interest.

Moderate: These effects if adverse, while importantat a local scale, are not likely to be key decision-making issues. Nevertheless, the cumulative effectof such issues may lead to an increase in the overalleffects on a particular area or on a particularresource. They represent issues where effects willbe experienced, but mitigation measures anddetailed design work may ameliorate/enhance someof the consequences upon affected communities orinterests, but some residual effects may still arise.

Minor: These effects may be raised as local issues,but are unlikely to be of importance in the decision-

making process. Nevertheless, they are ofrelevance in enhancing the subsequent design of thescheme and consideration of mitigation measures.

Not Significant: No effects or those, which arebeneath levels of perception, within normal boundsof variation or within the margin of forecasting error.

3. PUBLIC CONSULTATION

The purpose of the public consultation component ofthis study was to gather information relevant to theassessment process and broaden public awarenessof the need to preserve a corridor for the provision offuture Public Transport services.

The level of public interest and inquiry throughoutthe study has varied. However, with the Minister’srelease of the narrowed corridors in November 1998,and the subsequent issuing of letters notifyingpotentially affected landowners, interest was againgenerated in the project. Attention focussed onthose areas ‘potentially affected’ by the corridoroptions. As the focus of the technical studies hadshifted from a more strategic perspective (that wasnecessary in Stages 1 and 2) to a more detailedperspective in Stage 3, so too the community focuschanged. To address this change in perspective,the consultation process had to alter its focus to amore local level.

Four public open days have been held as part of theStage 3 public consultation process and these haveproved to be a valuable contribution to the project.Two of these open days occurred during the sixweek consultation period on the Draft IAS.Information presented at these open days includedmaps, engineering sections, and aerial photographsand technical information from the report beingpresented. Technical specialists in the fields ofnoise and ecological assessment, environmentalassessment, town planning, transport planning,transport modelling, and engineering were availableat these open days to answer questions from thepublic. There were also representatives fromQueensland Transport and Main Roads PropertyServices Branch to answer questions onGovernment policy, strategic planning andcompensation issues.

Through information received by the consultantsfrom these activities, the consultation process hascontributed to the identification of issues to beassessed or potentially mitigated, broadenawareness, and emphasised the human rather thanthe technical aspects of the issues to the addressed.

Throughout Stage 3, a number of submissions havebeen received by the Consultants. The followingtable provides details of the number of writtensubmissions received:


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CorridorOptionsAssessmentReport

DraftIAS

Type of Submission

Number of SubmissionsWritten Submissions(including faxes andE-mail)

214 38

Written ShopfrontComments

250 24

Response to QTnewsletter surveys

1057 N/A

Form Letters 547 N/ATOTALS 2068 62

All written submissions (letter, faxes, e-mails etc)received by the consultants were entered into adatabase which included a range of data entry fieldsto record a summary of the information and itssource. This database has been maintainedthroughout the whole study and provides details ofthe range of comments gathered in Stages 1, 2 & 3.

No detailed statistical analysis can be undertaken onthese submissions as they came from a range ofsources and have been provided voluntarily.

However, the submissions have been a usefulmechanism to gauge public opinion on a broadrange of issues and to help the consultant teamidentify appropriate selection criteria against whichto evaluate route and mode options.

All written comments received on the Draft IAS weresummarised in tabular format and where commentshad affected changes in the Final report these werenoted in the table.

In order to gain better insight into the views ofSunshine Coast residents, a Community AttitudeSurvey was conducted in August 1999. This surveywas undertaken by the Business Information andResearch Bureau (BIRB - formally The SunshineCoast Economic Development Board) to provide anindependent response to a broad range of transportrelated questions. A full copy of the BIRB report isappended to the main study report. Some of the keyfindings are given below:

q The Survey demonstrated that communityawareness of the CAMCOS process has risensignificantly since the survey conducted in June1997. It has risen from a position where 80%were unaware of CAMCOS to the 70% that arenow aware of the project.

q Newspaper, television and direct mail providedthe highest communication benefits.

q The survey pointed to a high level of potentialdemand for a public transport system (62% of

those surveyed). Convenience, lack of privatetransport, cost savings and environmentalbenefits dominated the reasons for favouringaccess to public transport.

q Key issues were seen to be reliability of service,cost of tickets, integrated ticketing and timetablecoordination linking with other public transport,park and ride facilities and service frequency.

q As to preferred locations to ‘Begin a Journey’and/or ‘End a Journey’ in each case thepreferred place was a shopping centre and/or‘park and ride’ facility. In each case there was anon-specific request for the locations to be‘central’ without many nominating the ‘CBD area’which, for the Sunshine Coast, was taken to beMaroochydore.

q Almost unanimous support was shown for theneed to plan for future public transport, with 98%also noting the need to provide a fast publictransport link between the Sunshine Coast andBrisbane.

q Whilst there was overwhelming support (96%)for the comprehensive range of transportsolutions to be implemented within a 5-10 yearperiod, only 4% were prepared to wait beyondyear 2010.

q There was however less clarity in the preferredtype of intra-regional public transport in themedium and longer term (eg Caloundra toMaroochydore). In the future 5-10 period lightrail/tramway was the overall preferred system,with upgraded and separated bus systems stillseen as very popular. The conventional ‘electricpassenger train’ currently linking the SunshineCoast to Brisbane did not rate highly.

q The employment representation of thosesurveyed ended with a bias to ‘not in workforce’.As noted elsewhere in this report that althoughthey were approached there appeared to be adifficulty getting younger employed people totake the time to undertake the survey. The 1996Census showed that some 53% of jobs are part-time with only 46% full time. The surveyappeared to reverse this to report the views oftwice as many full time employees (22% ofsurveyed) and part time/casual employees (11%of those surveyed).

q CBD Maroochydore was the area most reportedas the destination of travel for regular work.


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4. ENVIRONMENTAL ANDSOCIAL EFFECTS

The following provides a summary of environmentaland social effects of the scheme as they areassessed against environmental design objectivesthat have been set for the proposed scheme. Themain study report contains a draft EnvironmentalManagement Plan (EMP) which describes a range ofmitigation measures needed to overcome some ofthese effects.

4.1 Residential, Community and BusinessProperties

The environmental design objectives are:

q To minimise the demolition of property requiredand to cause the minimum possible number ofproperties to be disadvantaged by the scheme;

q The extent of landtake and disturbance tocommercial activities to be kept to a minimum;and

q To minimise the loss of existing pedestrianfacilities, sports facilities, cycleways, parks andopen space areas.

It is inevitable that a newly dedicated public transportroute will impact on property owners, leasees ortenants. The preferred route for CAMCOS hasminimised the number of affected properties. In totalalong the 47.6 km length of the route, although thereis landtake from a total of five residential properties,no residential dwellings would be directly affected.Also where possible the extent of landtakedisturbance has been minimised. With respect tocommercial properties, two would be directlyaffected by landtake on Enterprise Street resulting inmajor adverse effects. Ten other commercialproperties along the length of the route would beaffected by landtake requirements not affectingfunctioning.

With respect to community and recreational facilitiesonly minor adverse effects would be experiencedoverall for the following impacts. At Rotary Parksouth of Caloundra Road reinstatement of parkfacilities would be required following construction ofthe rail alignment. At Horton Park Golf Course inMaroochydore, a small amount of landtake isrequired which is not expected to affect its function.

4.2 Noise


q To prevent rail noise levels in the design yearexceeding the EPP (Noise) planning criteria forrail noise at noise sensitive receptors and where

appropriate seek to improve on this situation;and

q To integrate any proposals for noise barrierswith visual screens and landscape planting.

It is inevitable that a project of this scale, in providinga dedicated route for public transport that is relianton being close to population centres for patronage,would result in some areas experiencing adversenoise effects. At no point along the route would theEPP (Noise) planning criteria be exceeded and atonly one point (the Sunshine Motorway north ofCommercial Road) would noise mitigation in the formof a noise barrier be required to reduce levels tobelow the planning criteria. At all other locationsalong the route, the required noise levels areachieved by distance between the sensitivereceptors and the proposed route. There are somelocations where Noise Indicator levels would beexceeded, such as in the light industrial area north ofCaloundra Road, at Aroona, and just south ofParrearra, where future residential development isproposed. In each of these areas, the noise levelcould be reduced further by the use of mitigationmeasures such as mounds, barriers or fences.

4.3 Air Quality

There is no specific design objective for air qualitygiven the nature of the scheme which involves publictransport, in this case rail, which by its very naturedoes not emit air pollutants.

The operation of a railway line between Beerwahand Maroochydore would have positive effects inreduction of commuter traffic and the associated airpollution. There is a potential for a small increase inlocal peak hour traffic to and from the stations. Thiswould be a very localised impact that would be morethan offset by the reduction of the long distancecommuter traffic travelling to and from the NorthCoast line.

4.4 Landscape

Environmental design objectives are:

q Conserve and enhance landscape qualities ofthe corridor as far as possible; and

q Integrate landscape planting with noiseattenuation measures (mounds, barriers etc).

Between Beerwah and the Mooloolah River thereare a number of key elements of the scheme thathave the potential to impact on the landscape.These include bridge crossings of the Glass HouseMountains Road, the Bruce Highway and CaloundraRoad. In each case, given the local environmentand the form of the structures proposed, only minoradverse effects are anticipated.


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At Aroona, the introduction of a railway would resultin a distinct change to the local environment.However, the maintenance of the majority ofvegetation in this area, that might otherwise be lostto development, would screen local residents fromviews of the alignment and provide other ecologicaland amenity benefits. Overall it is considered thatminor adverse effects would result. At the crossingof the Mooloolah River, the preferred western optionwould result in a major adverse effect, giving rise toviews of the bridge from residences on and offCootamundra Drive, with limited opportunities formitigation.

The entry into Maroochydore and the relationshipbetween CAMCOS and the Southern Access LinkRoad has been the subject of much discussionduring the IAS process. In visual terms CAMCOShas been assessed in relation to the proposedchanges to the existing landscape in this area fromthe Sunshine Motorway to Plaza Parade that arelikely to occur before and during construction of therail alignment. The landscape character will changeconsiderably with the Southern Access Link Roadand commercial and other development on theeastern fringe of the Wise’s property. Given thelandscape character and development context withinwhich the CAMCOS project would be operated, thevisual impacts are considered to be not significant.

With respect to landscape and visual effects forresidents along the Sunshine Motorway, theproposed noise attenuation measures andassociated landscape planting would act as a visualscreen from the Motorway corridor. In visual termsthe effect is considered to be moderate adversegiven the limited scope for mitigation in this corridor.The effect of the rail bridge across the MaroochyRiver on the local landscape is considered to beminor adverse.

4.5 Ecology


q Preserve sites of ecological significance throughthe avoidance of adverse impacts, wherever thisis possible. Where this is not possible, minimiseimpacts on sites of ecological significance; and

q Promote ecological conservation withinlandscape measures proposed, aiming toreinforce and extend existing habitats andincrease the occurrence and diversity of wildlife.

The most significant environmental effects resultingfrom this scheme relate to the impact on ecologicalfeatures. Severe adverse effects would beexperienced with the construction of the alignmentthrough the following locations:

q Regionally significant Bells and LameroughCreek wetland areas located west of PelicanWaters;

q Priority one vegetation including rare andthreatened flora & fauna located between SugarBag Road and Currimundi Creek; and

q Areas of mangroves associated with theMooloolah River.

Major adverse effects on ecological features wouldbe experienced on Scientific Area No. 24 within theBeerwah State Forest, priority 1 riparian vegetationassociated with Bellbird, Mellum and Bells Creeks,mangroves north of the Maroochy River and Priority1 vegetation located within the motorway easementlocated adjacent to Lot 878.

A range of mitigation and offset measures havebeen incorporated with the scheme to amelioratethese impacts such as:

q Inclusion of a “No Net Loss” policy to offsetlosses of areas of ecological significance thatcannot be mitigated. The intent is that areas ofat least equal conservation value would besought which could be acquired and/orrehabilitated to compensate for the loss and/ordegradation (including edge effects) of nativeflora and fauna habitat within the public transportcorridor.

q Specific design features to mitigate direct andindirect effects on ecological features including:

− viaduct structures through wetlands andother areas to minimise direct clearancerequirements, allow fauna movement andmaintain the hydrological regime;

− wider bridge structures than required forpurely hydraulic reasons at creek crossingsto allow for maintenance of faunamovement; and

− placement of pylon structures in riverineenvironments to avoid marine plants such asmangroves.

q Buffer planting along exposed forest edges; andq Measures to minimise additional clearing outside

of that required for safety reasons.

4.6 Cultural Heritage

The environmental design objective is:

q Avoid, where possible, or alternatively, minimisephysical impact, landtake or severance to knownfeatures/sites of indigenous and or non-indigenous cultural heritage.

No sites or buildings of historic interest have beenidentified as being located within the proposed routealignment. The route would directly affect a total of


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five sites of Aboriginal cultural heritage interest.Major adverse effects would be associated witheffects on the Aboriginal Fringe Camp at Duck HolesCreek and an artefact scatter in the vicinity of theMooloolah River. It is understood that these effectswould be satisfactorily mitigated through consultationand negotiation with the Traditional Owners.

4.7 Hydrology and Water Quality


q To control discharges from the rail alignmentand associated infrastructure (such as car parksetc) and to avoid ground or surface waterpollution;

q To maintain the hydrologic regime of the wetlandareas within the Bells and Lamerough Creekwetlands;

q To provide clearance above 100 year ARI floodlevel; and

q Provide waterway openings to maintainacceptable afflux levels.

Measures such as best practice sediment anderosion control measures, vegetated swales, oilinterceptors etc would ameliorate the effects of thescheme on water quality during operation andconsequently overall effects would only be notsignificant or minor adverse. The hydrologicalstudy of the wetlands confirmed that the area hadalready experienced significant adverse effects dueto other local developments and that the inclusion ofextensive viaduct structures through these areas

would provide an adequate waterway opening areawith no significant change in wetland hydrologypredicted.

All structures on the route alignment have beendesigned to provide clearance above 100 year ARIflood levels and also to provide waterway openingsthat maintain acceptable afflux levels.

Examination of the hydrology and water qualityobjectives in the context of the effects of theproposed scheme indicates that the designobjectives under this heading would be fully met.

5. PREFERREDMOOLOOLABA OPTION

At Mooloolaba three potential route options wereassessed in the report. This included central,western and eastern options that extended fromnorth of Parrearra to the north of Sugar Road. Thefollowing table summarises the overall effects ofeach option and shows that the western option alongthe Sunshine Motorway is the most preferred for arange of factors. While more expensive, the westoption was preferred on social, cultural andoperational grounds.

Generic Criteria EasternOption

CentralOption

WesternOption

Engineering Cost ••• •• •Constructability ••• •• ••Ecology •• ••• •Hydrology No preferenceWater Quality No preferenceNoise • ••• ••Cultural Heritage • • •••Visual Intrusion ••• ••• ••Landtake (no. of properties) •• • •••Air Quality No preferenceAcid Sulphate Soils No preferenceDisruption duringconstruction

•• • •

Station Accessibility • •• •••Community Preference • • •••Overall Preference 19 19 21

Preference••• most preferred••• least preferred


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6. LAND USE TRANSPORTSTRATEGY

The brief for this study included, as an importantoutput of the project, the development of a land usetransport strategy identifying preferred land use andtransport networks for the Sunshine Coast area,affected by the CAMCOS route.

The impetus for this requirement was a result of pastplanning which tended to rely on catering forprojected increased transport needs based on acontinuation of land use and development trends.This approach perpetuates inefficient land usepatterns and dependence on the private motorvehicle. Consequently, the study area ischaracterised by high energy usage, lowsustainability and decreasing air quality. In addition,there are some groups who cannot sustain a lifestylein which their needs for access to human services,employment opportunities, cultural and leisureactivities are adequately met.

The preparation of the land use transport strategywill support efforts to improve the economic andsocial well being of the Sunshine Coast. Such astrategy should support and foster economicdevelopment, investment, and employment andcontribute to sustainable development and livablecommunities. The transport strategy will have animportant role in identifying developmentopportunities and promoting the necessaryinfrastructure to support the region.

This strategy therefore takes full consideration ofexisting and future linkages of the Caboolture-Maroochydore area to Nambour and adjoining areasof the Sunshine Coast; and maximises opportunitiesfor transit supportive development and for majortransport corridors to serve existing and proposedkey activity centres.

It also recommends changes to local governmentplanning schemes and development assessmentprocesses to help implement the strategy. Theseinclude focussing on ways to encourage transitsupportive development and best practice urbandesign in the study area.

The Transport/Land Use Strategy identifies that:

q Key land use variables of residential densitiesand employment locations, particularly in majoractivities centres and mix use development arefundamental components of a successfulintegrated land use/transport strategy;

q Local self-containment of communities should bepursued through a better match betweenemployment and housing opportunities,

including the use of mixed use developmentwhere appropriate;

q Compact urban forms should be promoted toallow improved access to public transport atgenerally increase residential densities thatbetter support the viability of the public transportsystem;

q Major employment growth should beconcentrated in centres well served by publictransport;

q Major multi-functional centres including retail,commercial, recreation, community, cultural andtransport services should be primary focal pointsfor the transport system. There should be astrong interrelationship between these centres atall levels of the hierarchy and appropriate formsof transport to maximise accessibility to thesecentres;

q Strategically located urban village nodes shouldbe identified to provide a focus for localactivities, and act as points of interchangebetween urban services, local feeders and linehaul public transport services;

q Urban design strategies should be pursued toachieve high quality living and workingenvironments with a pedestrian emphasis andan orientation to public transport, particularly atcentres, on major transit routes and aroundpublic transport stations;

q Business transport requirements should matchtheir location in the transport network, so thatbusinesses which people can walk to are locatednear pubic transport, and those which requirecar and truck access are located near majorroads;

q High volume/line haul public transport should besupported by the location close to stations andinterchanges of uses, which generate the mosttrips;

q High volume/line haul public transport should besupported by a co-ordinated local system ofbusways, cycle, pedestrian and road systems,which maximise access to stations and centres;

q A close match should be attained betweencentres and transport networks, in particular, bylocating major centres integrated with majorpublic transport interchanges;

q A high quality, seamless and accessible publictransport network should be available to allurban areas to provide rapid transit to majorcentres;

q Road based public transport should supportfocal areas in the high volume/line haul publictransit system, so that general road traffic issubordinated to public transport vehicles in keyactivity areas;

q In the longer term, a high quality, cost effectiverail service should be provided for both suburbanand interurban travellers;

q New and redeveloped communities should beplanned around public transport and non-


G:\ENVIRON\PROJECTS\9727\STAGE3\FINALIAS\FEB2000\EXECUTIV x April 2000

motorised transport to restrain urban sprawl andconcentrate passenger demand within easyreach of public transport routes;

q Town planning policies should rewarddevelopment focussed on public transport, forexample, by allowing developers to supply lesscar parking in return for improved publictransport access and establishing upper limits onretail and commercial floor space fordevelopments not located on line haul publictransport routes.

7. EVALUATION ANDIMPLEMENTATION

It is considered that the identification in the IRTP ofthe need for a quality public transport corridor toMaroochydore was justified. There now needs to bea commitment to preserve the corridor and anyassociated buffers, and to work towardsimplementation.

One of the best ways to preserve a corridor is to useit, but this is a matter of staging and funding. Theseissues and a broad range of shorter term steps thatcan be taken in order to prepare for the ultimatedevelopment of the corridor as a passenger railservice, are summarised below.

The transport system on the Sunshine Coastessentially relies upon the existing road system, withthe exception being the north coast railway. Theroad system currently is, and will always remain, theprimary infrastructure for most travel in and aroundthe Sunshine Coast. It is important this road systemnot be neglected, but it should not be given priorityover public transport initiatives, until at least a betterbalance is achieved.

In the short term however, some localised roadimprovements will also facilitate the provision ofbetter public transport along the coastal strip. Thiswill occur through the easing of congestion at somelocal ‘hot spots’, which will enable some bus prioritymeasures to be introduced. In their simplest form,these measures could include:

q Priority treatment at intersections eg. queuejump lanes and bus turn slots;

q Short sections of bus and transit lanes; andq Improved kerbside facilities and furniture eg.

indented bays and shelter facilities.

Until some of these works are undertaken andfacilities put in place, Sunshine Coast travellers willnot readily see the advantages that can be deliveredthrough a co-ordinated and integrated publictransport system.

The road system approaching the designated keyregional centre of Maroochydore is one area wherecurrent deficiencies are apparent. Specifically, theinterchanges between Buderim/Mooloolaba Roadand Maroochydore Road and the associatedcollector/distributor network, are in need ofupgrading. This need has been recognised by theDepartment of Main Roads and Maroochy ShireCouncil who have been planning for the constructionof the new Southern Access Link road and a reviewof upgrading options for the Sunshine Motorwayinterchanges.

These upgrading works are needed now and whilenot being driven by CAMCOS, are necessaryimprovements that will facilitate other associatedpublic transport initiatives. It is however importantthat the more detailed planning for these roadworksrecognises and accommodates the future needs ofthe CAMCOS route. In the case of the SunshineMotorway/Buderim Mooloolaba Road interchange,this will mean planning of the new interchange toaccommodate the diagonal underpass of theCAMCOS route. This will impact on the layoutplanning, grading and positioning of the bridgestructures, as well as the likely staging of the works.With respect to the Southern Access Link road,considerable work has already been undertaken inconjunction with Maroochy Shire to accommodatethe needs of CAMCOS, in both the early andsubsequent stages of this new road facility.

Chapter 2 of the IAS report assesses the modeoptions and recommends a conventional passengerrail system as the longer-term preference, because itprovides the best opportunities to deliver the RFGM& IRTP objectives. However, the financial andeconomic evaluations demonstrate that such asystem is unlikely to be viable for quite sometime.Nevertheless, there are many other cost-effectiveimprovements that should commence in the nearfuture and that would pave the way for a much betterand more equitable system in the longer term.

These transport system improvements and initiativescould range from protecting the CAMCOS route,upgrading of the existing north coast line fromCaboolture to Beerwah, through to a review ofparking provisions, regulations and enforcement, toimprovements to the existing bus fleet, roadsidefurniture and timetabling.

In relation to timing, the IRTP is driving the transportagenda in South East Queensland. This planningdocument outlines a 25 year plan for the region andsets targets for the various modes of transport andeach of the subregions. The followingrecommendations are given:

A moderate upgrading of the existing bus fleet andservices, while warranted, will not achieve the 2011


G:\ENVIRON\PROJECTS\9727\STAGE3\FINALIAS\FEB2000\EXECUTIV xi April 2000

IRTP targets for the Sunshine Coast. Therefore,selected sections of the CAMCOS route should be inplace to bypass congested stretches of the roadnetwork. Priority public transport works are requiredin the more congested areas from Kawana throughto Maroochydore. In addition, significant upgradingis required of the bus fleet, timetabling and farestructures.

Route protection is required immediately and is likelyto occur through designation of the whole corridorunder the Integrated Planning Act 1997. Theinterchange works identified above, should makeprovisions for CAMCOS, as they are progressivelycompleted in the coming years. Some works willneed to be started within about 5-7 years if the IRTPtargets are to be met in 2011.

Logically, the first works should be undertaken in thearea of most need around Maroochydore. There area number of trigger developments that will influencea start here. These developments would include theproposed hotel/convention centre and the Arts/cultural centre facilities. In addition to these, theexpansion of the commercial office precinct off PlazaParade on the Lend Lease and MaroochydoreCentral Holdings sites, would also be key driversand attractors/generators of additional publictransport trips.

The development of these projects will be driven bycommercial decisions but could reasonably beexpected to be underway within the next 5 years.This is well before there is likely to be sufficientdemand to justify the commencement of any railconstruction works. The most logical first stage useof the CAMCOS route would be by buses as it wouldbe an extension to the existing public transportsystem on the Sunshine Coast. Chapter 2 of IASreport evaluates alternate modes and discusses thereasons why a light rail or modern tramway systemis not considered worthwhile.

With regards to likely staging options, the followingsequence is considered appropriate. The timing ofeach stage is dependent on a range of externalfactors and should reflect the achievement oftriggers before movement to the next stage.

Stage 1: Designate the whole corridor fromBeerwah to the Sunshine Coast Airport andprogressively acquire the necessary property.Increase rail services on the existing north coastline and improve bus / rail co-ordination,ticketing and information systems. Progressivelyimplement bus priority measures throughKawana, Mooloolaba and Maroochydore.

Stage 2: Build the CAMCOS underpass throughthe Buderim Mooloolaba Road interchange aspart of its reconstruction. Build the link from

Parraearra to the new Southern Access Link(SAL) into Maroochydore as a busway.Construct priority roadworks along the NicklinWay to Kawana to enable buses to ‘queuejump’. Build the Mooloolaba station andassociated parking and access facilities on therefuse tip site as demand increases and thewarrant exists.

Stage 3a: Monitor traffic growth using the SALand congestion levels on the approaches intoMaroochydore and in and around Caloundra.Review the levels of demand on the transitservice to and from the north coast line anddecide on the commencement of railconstruction works. Progressively build fromBeerwah to Caloundra and points further northand progressively commission sections ofrailway between the stations eg. Beerwah toCaloundra, Caloundra to Kawana or Parrearra,Parrearra to Mooloolaba. The construction of thefirst link into Caloundra is dependent upon anumber of influences; namely, the possiblerelocation of the Caloundra Aerodrome andredevelopment of this site and also the future ofCaloundra Downs II. A commitment to either ofthese projects could bring forward the timing ofthis first section of rail construction.

Stage 3b: Construct the additional 2 lanes ofthe SAL and then transfer the CAMCOS buswayonto this new facility to maintain public transportpriority over the road users. This section of theCAMCOS route into Maroochydore could thenbe upgraded to passenger railway, if it isconsidered that the demand is met and thewarrants exist. This section of the railway wouldbe the last section of the link to be completedfrom Beerwah through to Maroochydore.

Stage 4: Monitor the growth north of theMaroochy River and assess the demand forextension of the rail corridor up to the vicinity ofthe Airport. When the warrant exists, build thislast leg and the final station with its associatedcommuter parking, bus layby and drop-offfacilities.

In addition to these main elements, the followingImplementation Plan shows a range of associatedprojects that are both ‘core’ CAMCOS related and‘support’ projects. It should be noted that the timingof these projects is indicative only.

The following figures summarise the key elements ofthis staging plan and show the CAMCOS preferredroute along with the ultimate development of all thestations from Beerwah to the Sunshine CoastAirport.


G:\ENVIRON\PROJECTS\9727\STAGE3\FINALIAS\FEB2000\EXECUTIV xii April 2000

Stage 1 (Year 2000 – 2005)

• BUS PRORITY MEASURES• ENHANCE SERVICE ON EXISTING RAIL

LINE• IMPROVED BUS SERVICES• BETTER BUS/RAIL COORDINATION• BETTER TICKETING AND INFORMATION

SYSTEMS

Stage 2 (Year 2005 – 2015)

• BUSWAY (MAROOCHYDORE TOPARREARRA)

• BUS PRIORITY ON OTHER ROUTESLINKED TO THE BUSWAY

• DEVELOP INTERMODAL INERCHANGES

Stage 3 (Year 2015+)

• RAIL PROGRESSIVELY DEVELOPEDFROM BEERWAH NORTH TOMAROOCHYDORE

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Documents

Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study/media/projects/c/caboolture... · 2010. 9. 22. · Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study Final Impact Assessment and Land Use Transport