Council’s fast work on Biosphere Reserve ideas

JIM FAGAN
Submissions for ideas for Noosa Biosphere Reserve closed on Monday and already Mayor Noel Playford, Deputy Mayor Bob Abbot and Councillors Frank Pardon and Tony Wellington have started working through the close to 50 sent in. 

Next step for the working party are meetings on Tuesday and the following Tuesday where selected submitters will be invited to make a presentation of their proposals to the working group. “We want to move quickly,” Narelle Reid, executive assistant to the Mayor and CEO Brett de Chastel told Noosa Today. “A lot of people have come out with ideas that have nothing to do with the management model, rather more what they think council should do, things like tourism, transport, litter. “We don’t want to lose those either so were going to take them aside and have a different assessment process for them.” “We want people to understand this is not really a competitive process. We want things that are innovative.” Told about Noosa Today’s street survey which revealed few people knew really what Biosphere Reserve was, Narelle said that problem would be part of the discussion with the working group and the people who had put in submissions. “The aim of all this is to get more community involvement and understanding.” The meetings on Tuesday and Tuesday, March 11, will be held between 5.30 and 8pm at the Council Chambers, Tewantin.  Observers are welcome to the presentations but need to notify council by phoning 5329 6209 by 5pm tomorrow as there is limited seating available.