Business
14 May, 2025
Support for solar farm
A PROPOSED new 7ha solar farm between Port Douglas and Mossman is being supported by Douglas shire councillors after officers initially recommended rejecting the application.
Councillors at last week’s monthly meeting eventually voted to support the farm after Mayor Lisa Scomazzon tabled a new motion.
The venture is earmarked on the corner of the Captain Cook Highway and Killaloe Dump Rd between Port Douglas and Mossman on land next to Vic’s Nursery.
Cr Scomazzon and Cr Michael Rees spoke in favour of the solar farm.
She said with uncertainty over the cane industry, the Shire had to open up to new industries, even though the proposal fell outside the town plan.
“Everything’s up in the air at the moment,” Cr Scomazzon said.
“We don’t know if we’ve got an industry here at the moment with agriculture, so we need to maybe open up a little bit to allow new industry in the Shire,” she said.
“So I think we need to keep that in mind.”
Cr Rees said at first he had doubts about the project, especially considering its effect on the scenic beauty of the Shire.
“The applicant’s got a lot of hoops to jump through,” he said.
“(But) I like it because it’s light on the earth and, instead of harvesting cane, we’re harvesting the sun,” he said.
Council officers earlier wrote to landowners J and V Noli raising concerns about the solar farm on the main road between the two towns when tourism was critical to the region.
“The development is considered a visual intrusion on the landscape,” the letter said.
“Even with vegetation screening to all boundaries, the vistas of the area will be imposed upon.
“Any development of a large solar panel installation on the ground needs to be away from scenic vistas and mapped scenic routes.
“The Shire has a very limited, narrow strip of agricultural land, generally sited between the coastal systems and the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.
“With the recent closure of the Mossman Mill concern is held with the agriculture futures for local farmers.”
Cr Scomazzon said the council should back the solar farm proposal, subject to certain conditions, including screening the panels from the highway and continuing to back farming in the region.
The new motion also wants the site to have the least impact on good quality agricultural land and demonstrate a need for the development.
The applicants told the council that there were plans to plant shrubs and trees to help hide the panels from the highway and some of the adjacent land on the 88ha site was already being used for higher value crops, such as taro and ginger.
Cr Abigail Noli (above), who said she was related to the applicants, declared a conflict of interest and left the meeting during the debate and decision-making.
Read More: Killaloe
