Cook Shire Council today met with representatives of the Stay Another Day Railway Trail project to walk through a detailed timeline outlining the history, approvals and current status of the Rail Trail Boardwalk project.
At the meeting, Council’s Chief Executive Officer and Manager of Planning met with project representative Jola George to review the project step-by-step and clarify how the project progressed, where regulatory issues arose, and what steps are now required to complete the approved boardwalk section.
The meeting was supported by a detailed timeline prepared by Council which brings together key Council decisions, development approvals, regulatory advice and project milestones dating back to the early concept discussions in 2016.
A simplified visual version of this timeline has now been published to Council’s website so the wider community can easily follow the project’s progression and understand the next steps.
Cook Shire Council CEO Brian Joiner said the purpose of the meeting and the timeline was to ensure everyone involved had a clear understanding of the facts.
“There has been a lot of discussion about this project over the years, so it was important to sit down and go through the timeline together and ensure there is a shared understanding of what has occurred,” Mr Joiner said.
“Council has supported the concept of the Rail Trail project in principle for many years.
However, as the timeline shows, a number of regulatory approvals were required for works on public land and in environmentally sensitive areas.”
The timeline outlines how a development application for a 110-metre boardwalk section was approved in June 2024, subject to standard planning and building conditions and State referral agency requirements.
When works commenced later that year, Council officers identified construction activities outside the scope of the approved works and without all required permits in place.
Under Queensland legislation, Council was required to notify the relevant State regulators and undertake further environmental and engineering assessments to determine what approvals would be required to bring the project into compliance.
Mr Joiner said Council has since stepped in to manage the process required to rectify the works and progress the project safely.
“Rather than leaving the project unresolved, Council made the decision to step in and progress the regulatory approvals and rectification work required to complete the approved boardwalk section and works outside the original scope,” he said.
This includes allocating $162,310 from Council’s budget to address environmental remediation, engineering rectification and development approvals required as a result of the unauthorised works identified along the trail.
Additional consultant reports and legal advice have also been commissioned as part of this process.
Mr Joiner said the meeting with Ms George provided an opportunity to discuss both the challenges encountered and the path forward for the project.
“We were able to explain the regulatory requirements that apply to works on public land and environmentally sensitive areas, as well as the steps Council is now taking to bring the project back into compliance,” he said.
Council is currently progressing retrospective approvals required from the State Government, including environmental permits and owner’s consent processes relating to Native Title.
Once those approvals are finalised, Council will be able to complete the required rectification works, obtain building certification for the boardwalk and open the approved section to the public.
The timeline also confirms that while the Railway Trail has long been supported in principle, any future expansion of the trail would need to be considered through Council’s normal planning and budget processes alongside other infrastructure priorities across the Shire.
Residents can now view the timeline below and supporting documents below.
