ROADWAYS that plough into lush paddocks and the duplication of a rail connection are among works proposed for Queensland's Darling Downs during the next 20 years, fuelling fears that local authorities are pulling out all stops to make the region a hive for coalmining activity.
Toowoomba Regional Council's draft planning scheme also codifies plans for a 2000ha industrial estate 12km from the city centre, for which the mayor will seek an exemption from state pollution regulations.
In a community already divided over encroachment by miners, the draft scheme has further unnerved landholders, who fear values will crash and farmers will ultimately be forced off their land.
Council says the draft is a well-considered strategic overview that will inform state government decisions in a region with little choice but to embrace its changing demographics and economy.
The Australian
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