Lindeman Island resort plan would see privatisation of national park

A proposal for a $583 million development project on Lindeman Island, part of the Whitsunday Islands archipelago, would see more than 30 hectares of the island’s national park privatised.

The draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the redevelopment and expansion of the island’s resort, developed by DBI Design, was released at the weekend.

White Horse Australia’s Lindeman Great Barrier Reef Resort project includes four new resort precincts, a central village with restaurants, shops, a night club, golf course, an upgraded airstrip and the redevelopment of the existing Club Med resort, which closed in 2012 after suffering damage from Cyclone Yasi.

The EIS also proposes comprehensive changes to tenure and boundary arrangements and includes plans for an ‘ecotourism’ facility comprising 30 ‘glamping’ tents that would be located within the national park.

Introducing the consultation, Queensland State Development Minister Dr Anthony Lynham “the redevelopment is consistent with the (Queensland) Government’s Advancing Tourism plan to drive growth and jobs in the tourism industry.

“However, it is within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and it’s important that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the Reef.

“The independent Coordinator-General has released the draft EIS for public consultation until 4 September and all submissions received during this consultation period will be considered in finalising the evaluation.”

However, the Mackay Conservation Group said in a statement that the proposal amounted to a “land grab” and was “yet another attempt by private interests to erode the values of our national parks.”

The Mackay Conservation Group, which first started campaigning for Lindeman Island to be protected from development in the 1980s, has launched a petition calling for the rejection of the proposal.

Its petition reads “Lindeman Island has been declared a national park because of its exceptional scientific, ecological, heritage and recreational values.

“Any changes to the land tenure of Lindeman Island will lessen the protection of those exceptional values.”

Lindeman Island’s resort has been closed since 2012 after suffering significant damage from Cyclone Yasi in 2011.

The White Horse proposal is one of several significant investments planned in the Whitsundays, including:

• $2 billion re-development of the Laguna Whitsundays Resort
• Development of Daydream Island Resort and Spa and South Molle Island Resort
• Redevelopment of Brampton Island.

Dr Lynham said the Coordinator-General was also conducting consultation on behalf of the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

The Coordinator-General will be accepting comments on the draft EIS until 4th September 2017.

For more information visit statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/lindeman.

Image: An artist's visualization of the proposed Lindeman Great Barrier Reef resort, prepared by DBI Design.

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