There has been some comment re the approval of a high rise building in Cairns in the area of land adjacent to the Convention Centre where the railway sheds used to be. What some people may not realise is that the previous Council had already approved buildings of similar height on that block, Piermonde is a similar height and it is considerably lower than the Corporate tower at the bottom end of Lake St which is more than 60 metres in height.

I have never been opposed to high density housing. We live on a narrow coastal strip, we need to protect our hill slopes and valuable agricultural land, and we want to stop suburban sprawl on quarter acre blocks. We also need to create places to live for the people who discover our tropical lifestyle and want to move here from down south (up to June 08 the Cairns region was the fastest growing outside the SE corner of QLD).

Council must provide for higher densities near schools, shops, jobs and public transport. The southern end of the CBD - around where the new State Government building is going - is emerging as the area of highest intensity for the growth of residential, government and commercial premises.

I think that building ‘high rise' there, closer to the wharf industrial area, is better than in the central area of the CBD where the highest buildings are allowed. The Council is moving to introduce the Shields St Precinct which will restrict the height of buildings, and aims to retain the character of this part of the CBD where locals like to shop (and where Craig Squire and other traders have introduced the Market Square initiative).

These are some of the strategic decisions that Council has been elected to make so councillors have been debating where we need to provide for higher density. We have to enable the growth and prosperity of the CBD whilst trying to retain the character and distinctive tropical elements in our architecture.

Interestingly, the approved high-rise building has a 12-storey hydroponic wall incorporated into it; the first "green wall" in Cairns!