Towards 2050: Growth Strategy Framework
Council has prepared a Growth Strategy Framework as part of the Towards 2050 Shaping Cairns project. This long-range, community-driven project will establish a clear vision and guiding principles for the future growth and development of the Cairns local government area.
The Growth Strategy Framework explains:
- what's happened so far, how Cairns has grown and how we are delivering the Towards 2050 project
- what we have heard and found out from Phase 1 and Phase 2 community engagement
- the 12 technical studies being undertaken
- how we have developed the guiding principles for the next phase
- how you can get involved in guiding Cairns' development in 2050.
Download the Growth Strategy Framework document ( PDF, 3.41 MB ) to learn more about how we are planning for growth to harness the opportunities of the future.
Have your say
To provide feedback on the Growth Strategy Framework, you can:
- email the Towards 2050 project team
- complete the short poll on the Towards 2050 project website and tell us your top 5 things that would make a great neighbourhood in 2050
- chat with our team at local markets and events during September and October. See dates, times and locations on the Towards 2050 project website.
Technical studies
Twelve technical studies are being undertaken to provide us with contemporary information and help us understand our community’s needs and how we can best respond to the challenges and opportunities of growth.
We are also relying on existing technical information including local infrastructure planning, environmental mapping and other recent strategies to ensure the full breadth of issues are being considered.
The 12 technical studies are:
- Housing
- Centres and employment
- Rural lands
- Community infrastructure
- Transport infrastructure
- Neighbourhood character
- Scenic amenity
- Risk assessments:
- Bushfire
- Coastal erosion
- Landslide
- Stormtide
- Flood
Guiding principles for the next phase
This Growth Strategy Framework also presents a set of guiding principles that have been developed from community feedback. An initial set of 12 draft planning principles were presented, workshopped and prioritised at the Community and Youth Summits in May 2023. This generated a list of 38 principles that were prioritised by Community Summit participants. The project team then analysed and grouped these 38 prioritised planning principles into umbrella themes to arrive at the following 7 guiding principles for the next phase of the Growth Strategy project.
- Housing that meets our changing needs
- Supporting a thriving economy
- Recognising and respecting our diverse cultures and heritage
- Creating great tropical neighbourhoods
- Delivering sustainable infrastructure
- Improving our resilience to natural hazards and climate change
- Protecting our natural environment
The 12 technical studies are also are testing these guiding principles, identifying current issues and key implications for Cairns. As the technical studies are finalised, the key findings and implications will be explored and considered holistically. The guiding principles will continue to help shape the Cairns of 2050, being informed by the community on what is important as we accommodate this growth.
Last Updated: 4 September 2023
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