11 MAROOCHYDORE TO SUNSHINE COAST AIRPORT/media/Projects/C/Caboolture to Maroochydore... · 11...

Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor StudyFinal Impact Assessment and Land Use Transport Strategy

G:\ENVIRON\PROJECTS\9727\STAGE3\FINALIAS\FEB2000\CHAPTER11 Part B 11-1February 2001

11 MAROOCHYDORE TO SUNSHINECOAST AIRPORT

11.1 Introduction

This Chapter considers the environmental and socialeffects of the proposed scheme between theMaroochydore Central station at Plaza Parade and theSunshine Motorway west of the Sunshine Coast Airportwhere the alignment terminates at a station on themotorway. This section of the route is approximately10.6km in length and would travels within the SunshineMotorway corridor for the majority of its length. A newcrossing of the Maroochy River would be requiredlocated adjacent to the existing motorway bridgecrossing. Two stations are proposed in this section,one at Bradman Avenue and the other located east ofthe motorway and west of the Sunshine Coast Airport.The Airport station is proposed to cater for commutersand would incorporate adequate parking facilities.

Significance criteria have been applied to subject areaswithin this Chapter and used to describe theassessment of effects. For details relating to thederivation of these criteria the reader is referred to PartA, section 4.6.

11.2 Land Use Planning

This section of the proposed route is contained withinthe existing Sunshine Motorway reserve. West ofMaroochydore centre, the route traverses through alargely undeveloped area which, subject to resolution ofdrainage problems, is planned for the development of amasterplanned residential community and mixedhousing. Planning for this development should becognisant of the location of this route and also bushlandvalues identified in forward planning for this area.

Between Maroochydore Road and the Maroochy River,the corridor is adjoined by existing residentialdevelopment, including a retirement village andcaravan park. There is also a local commercial centreadjoining the south-eastern corner of the BradmanAvenue/Sunshine Motorway area, whilst to the west ofthe motorway in this location existing low intensityareas are planned for multi-storey residential and mixedhousing development in the draft Maroochy PlanningScheme.

This local centre and future development areas providethe opportunity for transit supportive development for astation in this vicinity.

North of the Maroochy River, the corridor remainswithin the Sunshine Motorway reserve and traversespredominantly rural areas (which are protected in

forward planning for their agricultural land values),together with the residential area of Pacific Paradise.

The termination of the route would occur within a Ruralzoned area adjoining a significant area intended for theexpansion of the Sunshine Coast Airport.

The existing portion 878 is recognised in the DraftMaroochy Scheme as “Airport Periphery” which,although originally intended for industrial development,is likely to be significantly constrained by the habitat ofregionally endangered eco-system types which exist onthe site. The draft Plan indicates Council willinvestigate other opportunities for industrialdevelopment in the locality, so as to preserve thevalues of these areas if possible.

This station location, in planning terms, should providecommuter opportunities from significant existing andfuture development areas to the north (the Coolum areaand Noosa Shire); as well as opportunities to serve theairport itself.

11.3 Local Transport Issues

The proposed Bradman Avenue station adjoins theSunshine Motorway just to the south of the MaroochyRiver bridge. Preliminary planning for this stationsuggests that it can only realistically be developed if themotorway ramps to and from Bradman Avenue areremoved. It is understood that the removal of theseramps has been promoted by Maroochy Shire Councilas a means of improving the amenity along the DavidLow Way / Bradman Avenue as a result of reducing the‘non local’ or through traffic using this link. It is alsounderstood that the DMR has some reservations aboutsuch a proposal as it would increase the traffic loadingson Maroochydore Road and other links. It is thereforebeyond the scope of this study to resolve these issuesbut simply to examine the likely implications of such astation. This study does not advocate the removal ofthese ramps, but does evaluate the possible impact ofa station if the ramps were to be removed. If theMotorway ramps are not removed, there is insufficientland available (without significant resumptions) toconstruct a station in this location.

Upon review of Council’s draft planning schemedocuments for this area, it is evident that a station inthis location could be well suited to the plannedincrease in residential densities along this strip. On thebasis that the motorway ramps could be satisfactorilyremoved, each road could then provide local accessopportunity to the station site. It would also be possibleto consider a lower level pedestrian / cyclist link underthe motorway in this location. Such a link wouldimprove east west connectivity in the area, which iscurrently severed by the motorway.

The proposed location of the Sunshine Coast Airportstation has been altered following the ecological



fieldwork and discussions with the EPA, DNR andothers. The draft IAS nominated a station a little furtherto the north and adjoining the Motorway in the vicinity ofFinland Road (see Figure 11.3a). However, following asubmission and discussions with Maroochy ShireCouncil, DMR Gympie and others, it is possible thatanother location closer to Pacific Paradise may bemore suitable. It is not necessary nor possible at thisstage to resolve these issues until at least after theDMR completes its investigations into possible newinterchange options for the David Low Way andSunshine Motorway interchange.

It is however worth noting that a station in this location(see Figure 11.3b) would be expected to serve theresidents of Pacific Paradise, the Sunshine CoastAirport and commuters to and from the rapidly growingresidential areas to the north. The modelling work thathas been undertaken to date shows that there is likelyto be a substantial increase in demand across the riverfrom 2011 onwards. This demand would comprisemainly of commuters to/from Maroochydore and areasfurther south, plus some visitor travel intoMaroochydore.

11.4 Community Facilities and Severance

11.4.1 Future Without Scheme

The Sunshine Motorway is likely to be upgraded tothree lanes in each direction and 1 HOV lane in eachdirection in the future. This would also entailupgrading of the Mooloolah River, Maroochydore Road,Bradman Avenue and Pacific Paradise Interchanges.

The Wise’s property in the centre of Maroochydore iscurrently under investigation for major urbandevelopment, possibly including a cultural centre,sporting facilities, residential and commercial land uses.

The Airport may expand through lengthening of therunway and associated infrastructure extensions.

11.4.2 Effects of the Scheme

This section focuses on the direct and indirect impactson property, community facilities, access etc. Theeffects on residential amenity (including noise andvisual impacts) has been assessed elsewhere in thischapter and have not been repeated here.

This section should be read in conjunction with Table11.4.2, which provides details of all affected propertiesand the proportion of those properties likely to beaffected by the scheme. Figure 5.5.1e&f provide thereader with the location of those affected properties.

Table 11.4.2: Property Effects - Maroochy Centre to Sunshine Coast AirportNo. Type Category Description Total Area

(ha)%

AffectedAffected

by1 P Rural without buildings, land take only Private owner 4.4 10.9% Corridor2 P Rural without buildings, land take only Private owner 12.3 1.9% Corridor3 P Rural without buildings, land take only Private owner 4.4 7.2% Corridor4 C No existing buildings or structures, land take

onlyAllora Gardens 14.5 1.8% Corridor

5 C No existing buildings or structures, land takeonly

Allora Gardens 4.7 0.5% Corridor

6 G Reserve (uncommitted, drainage or buffer) Council Reserve 0.7 21.5% Corridor7 G Reserve (uncommitted, drainage or buffer) QT Reserve 0.6 0.9% Corridor8 G Reserve (uncommitted, drainage or buffer) Council Reserve 1.0 1.2% Corridor9 C Existing business, building affected Existing Business 0.04 22.9% Corridor

10 G Reserve (uncommitted, drainage or buffer) Reserve 5.3 1.8% Corridor11 G Reserve (uncommitted, drainage or buffer) Council Reserve 4.5 52.6% Corridor

andstation

Total number of properties affected = 11Total number of individual land owners affected = 6Key: G = Government P = Private C = Commercial

11.4.2.1 Community and Recreational Facilities andSeverance

There are no community facilities directly affected bythe corridor in this section, apart from minor landtakefrom two strips of motorway buffer planting areas

located on the eastern side of the motorway and northof Maroochydore Road. On the northern bank of theMaroochy River a small area of open space would beaffected by the alignment.



As the route would be travelling along the eastern sideof the Sunshine Motorway, the issue of additionalseverance is not considered a significant issue.Existing overpasses and underpasses would beaffected during the construction phase only.

11.4.2.2 Privately Owned Residential and CommercialProperties

As the route alignment travels south from the MaroochyCentral Station it would again impact one of theproperties owned by PF Wise and part of the sameblock owned by Christadale Pty Ltd. Two additionalproperties owned by PF Wise would also be affected asthe alignment continues on the eastern side of theSunshine Motorway.

A 10m wide strip of land would be required from AlloraGardens (a retirement village) along the southernboundary of this property where it adjoins themotorway.

A commercial property on Bradman Avenue adjoiningthe motorway reserve may be affected by landtake thatcould impact on the building on this site. The scale ofthis impact would be dependent upon the future needsof the Sunshine Motorway and the alignment of anynew bridges across the Maroochy river.

There are two properties currently used for agriculturalpurposes (cane growing) at the northern most end ofthis section where the proposed Maroochy Airportstation could be located.

11.4.2.3 Government Owned or Leased Properties

As previously stated, two portions of buffer land areaffected by minor land take. There is also a portion ofopen space affected on the northern bank of theMaroochy River.

11.4.3 Response

11.4.3.1 Introduction

Many of the impacts associated with acquiring land forthe corridor would be deemed to have beensatisfactorily mitigated through the provision ofcompensation.

Requests to acquire designated land under hardshipcan be made under the Integrated Planning Act 1997once the Minister for Transport designates the corridor.

During construction to avoid delays and trafficcongestion in this section access would be maintainedthrough the use of traffic management measures andsidetracking where required. Staging of constructionwill also help to manage the impacts of constructionupon access.

Landowners directly affected by the route alignmentwould receive appropriate levels of compensation.

11.4.4 Assessment

The land take requirements from PF Wise, Christadalesproperty (both currently undeveloped) and AlloraGardens is considered to be a minor adverse effectassuming that appropriate levels of compensation areprovided. The commercial property on BradmanAvenue may need to be relocated resulting inmoderate adverse effects.

11.5 Terrestrial Ecology

11.5.1 Future Without the Scheme

The following activities may occur in this section in thenext 10-15 years and may or may not have an effect onthe ecology of the area:

q The Wise’s property is likely to be developed for avariety of community, commercial and residentialproperty uses.

q The Sunshine Motorway is likely to be widened to 3lanes in each direction and one HOV lane in eachdirection within the next ten years.

q The Airport may expand through lengthening of therunway and associated infrastructure extensions.


11.5.2.1 National Parks

The original alignment proposed for the railway in thissection ran into the centre of Lot 878 (a proposedNational Park) east of the motorway, with the originalstation location notionally located in the centre of thisproperty. This would have required the directdisturbance and clearing of some 0.5ha of melaleucaforest and more than 0.3ha of heathland (0.3ha for thealignment itself, plus area for the station and associatedcarparks). In addition to whatever areas would havebeen required to allow access between the station andthe Airport terminal buildings, some 800m away. Itwould also have exposed large portions of the central(relatively undisturbed to date) area of Lot 878 to edgeeffects, which they do not currently suffer.

The preferred alignment now follows the SunshineMotorway adjacent to the eastern portion of proposedNational Park Lot 878. It is proposed to run within theMotorway Easement in this section to minimise theimpacts to the proposed NP site. As such, thepreferred alignment does not intrude directly into Lot878 at all.

Parts of the Motorway easement still contain vegetationin a relatively natural state (with only minor edge effectsapparent), and construction along the preferred



alignment through this area would require the clearingof a band of native vegetation, totalling some 2.2ha intotal. This clearing would take place adjacent to theboundary of the main eastern portion of the proposedNP, and would expose the edge of the NP area to theedge effects from which it is currently buffered. Itshould be noted, however, that future upgrades of theMotorway at this point would have the same impacteven if CAMCOS did not proceed.

11.5.2.2 Rare and Threatened Species

Flora

Three species of rare, threatened or otherwisesignificant flora (namely Allocasuarina emuina, Acaciabaueri and Schoenus scabripes) are known or likely tooccur within habitat affected by this section of thealignment, with all specimens having been recordedfrom the proposed National Park area (Lot 878).

Specimens of some of these species are also likely tooccur in the heathland vegetation currently remainingwithin the motorway easement (particularly A. emuina -W. Drake pers. comm. 1999). Any such specimenswould be likely to be cleared by the preferred railalignment. It should be noted, however, that clearing inthat area of the motorway easement would in any casebe required for future widening of the Motorway throughthis section.

Fauna

Ten rare, threatened or otherwise significant faunaspecies are known or likely to occur within habitatsaffected by this section of the rail alignment. Theseinclude False Water-rat (Xeromys myoides), EasternChestnut Mouse (Pseudomys gracilicaudatus), WallumRocketfrog (Limnodynastes freycineti), WallumSedgefrog (Litoria olongburensis), Wallum Froglet(Crinia tinnula), the skink (Lampropholis guichenoti),Grey Goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae), EasternCurlew (Numenius madagascariensis), Ground Parrot(Pezoporus wallicus) and Swamp Crayfish(Tenuibranchiurus glypticus).

The Wallum Froglet and the Grey Goshawk are theonly species to occur in habitats to the north and southof the Maroochy River within this section of the railalignment. The Wallum Froglet is not considered to bethreatened by development of the rail alignmentbetween the Maroochydore Centre and MaroochyRiver. The development of the rail alignment throughthe central part of the largest bushland remnant on the“Wise’s farm land” has the potential to impact on GreyGoshawk. If the individual observed is part of a pair,resident within the area (nesting occurred at theBuderim Transfer site in 1997, though current status isuncertain), clearing and additional on-going disturbanceto the bushland remnant on the “Wise’s farm land” mayrepresent a serious loss of habitat and impact, sufficient

to force the pair to relocate. If the individual rangesfurther west, dispersing to the lowlands to over-winter,the loss of this forest may not be as significant.

The population of wallum froglets was small (fewer than8 males calling) and located too far east to be directlyaffected by the route. The rare elf skink may also occurat this site but the habitat is probably less than idealand none were located despite a search beneath logsand debris. They would not be expected to occur in theswampier section of the site (the paperbark forest withrainforest understorey) nor in the drier eucalypt forest tothe east, but may occur along the transition zone inbetween, where the forest is damp, but the soil notsaturated. If so, the railway development wouldprobably destroy the population as this habitat will becleared for the development.

North of the Maroochy River, all species listed aboveare associated with either the River’s riparian habitat orthe native habitats adjacent to airport lands. Threespecies, the False Water-rat, Grey Goshawk andEastern Curlew are likely to utilise riparian habitat onthe northern side of the Maroochy River. For the FalseWater-rat, intertidal habitat within and immediatelyadjacent either side of the existing motorway is thoughtto support feeding grounds of marginal value (suitablenesting habitat is unlikely to occur here). The onlyhabitat that would be directly affected for railwayconstruction would be the regenerating mangrovefringe adjacent to the eastern side of the motorwaybridge. As the rail bridge would be built on pylons, thusallowing access for the False Water-rat to themangrove fringe further west, very little potentialfeeding habitat would be lost in the long term. Themangrove fringe extends east from the motorway formore than a kilometre, and these areas are presumablythe main feeding grounds for the False Water-rat in thisregion. As the railway would be built adjacent to themotorway, any habitat impact for Eastern Curlew andGrey Goshawk would be highly restricted.

State-owned land to the west of the Sunshine CoastAirport (including Lot 878) supports habitat for EasternChestnut Mouse, Wallum Rocketfrog, WallumSedgefrog, Wallum Froglet, the skink (Lampropholisguichenoti), Grey Goshawk, Ground Parrot and SwampCrayfish. It is a very noteworthy feature of this site thatit is now the southernmost habitat in Queensland forthe vulnerable Ground Parrot and supports all threerare and threatened “acid” frog species.

The rail alignment, as originally proposed, would havetraversed to the centre of this significant habitat area.This would have caused a severe adverse impact forspecies such as the Ground Parrot. Development of arail station and associated infrastructure would alsohave destroyed a significant component of suitablehabitat and it is highly likely that noise and generalactivity arising from the operation of the rail and stationwould have resulted in the displacement of the species



from a larger area. Rail and station development wouldalso have impacted on surface water hydrology andquality and would have been likely to generate a severeadverse impact on the acid frogs, particularly theWallum Sedgefrog and Wallum Rocketfrog.

Development on this site would also have resulted inhabitat removal and modification, for the rare GreyGoshawk and regionally significant Eastern ChestnutMouse, Lampropholis guichenoti and Swamp Crayfish.As a result of these findings, a range of options wererecommended and an alignment revision resulted inshifting the preferred route, north of Menzies Road, tolie entirely within the eastern side of existing motorwayeasement with the station site located within landcurrently used for the growing of sugarcane. A detailedfield inspection of that area was not possible in theavailable timeframe for this study. Commentsregarding potential impacts to terrestrial fauna resultingfrom the revised alignment are therefore based onlimited field assessment and inferences drawn fromknowledge of species known to occur within similarhabitats occurring on the adjoining Lot 878 and theirhabitat preferences.

The development of the preferred (revised) railalignment would remove habitat that is probably usedby Wallum Froglet (particularly melaleuca forest to thesouth), Grey Goshawk (throughout the length of theroute) and most significantly, Ground Parrot (withinheath habitat of the northern section) and possiblyEastern Chestnut Mouse, Wallum Rocketfrog, WallumSedgefrog, the skink (Lampropholis guichenoti), andSwamp Crayfish.

The area of habitat loss would, however, be confined toa linear strip adjoining the existing motorway and theonly species likely to be affected in a significant way bythis loss is the Ground Parrot, due to its veryspecialised habitat needs, large home range, sensitivityto human impacts and history of decline in the region.The preferred alignment would avoid creating asignificant intrusion into, and creation of a permanentand on-going source of disturbance within, the core ofthis regionally significant habitat remnant.

11.5.2.3 Marine Plants

The rail alignment passes through a fringe ofmangroves some 80m wide on the north bank of theMaroochy River, to the immediate east of the existingMotorway crossing, and would require the disturbanceof less than 0.2ha of them.

As previously discussed, the alignment would beconstructed on viaduct in this section, and it is thereforeexpected that some mangrove specimens could beretained within these areas during construction, andthat others would be able to grow under the railwaylines during the operation phase.

Again, a permit would be required from the DPI for theremoval/disturbance of this mangrove area.

11.5.2.4 Critical Nature Conservation Areas

The preferred alignment passes through 1.4km of theMarcoola Wallum Critical Nature Conservation Area(CNCA) within the motorway easement. Approximately500m of this is through melaleuca forest, and 600mthrough heathland, requiring the clearing ofapproximately 1ha and 1.2ha respectively. At thenorth-western corner of the CNCA, the alignmentpasses through approximately 300m of lands which aremore disturbed (containing a number of roads anddrains) than other areas of the CNCA, but whichcontain patches of heathland vegetation of value bothas habitat for rare and threatened species and as asignificant vegetation type (see relevant sectionsbelow).

11.5.2.5 Significant Wetland Areas

Two identified significant wetland areas would beaffected in this section, namely:

q Maroochy River Wetland (129); andq Marcoola Wetland (194).

The Maroochy River Wetland (129) includes themangrove fringe on the north bank of the MaroochyRiver. The impacts to these mangroves are discussedabove under the “Marine Plants” section.The alignment would pass along the westernmostfringe of the Marcoola Wetland (129) area, within themotorway easement, requiring disturbance to a strip ofland covering approximately 3.2ha of the Wetland area(including 2.0ha of melaleuca forest and 1.2ha ofheathland).

11.5.2.6 Riparian Vegetation

The principal riparian vegetation to be affected by thissection of the route alignment is the mangrovesassociated with the north bank of the Maroochy River.The impacts to these mangroves are discussed aboveunder the “Marine Plants” section.

11.5.2.7 Significant Vegetation Types

The key areas of Priority 1 vegetation types in thissection are associated with:

q Wise’s farm land;q Maroochy River;q Land west of Pacific Paradise Primary School; andq Lot 878.

In all, the approximate areas of each Priority 1vegetation type directly affected in this section are:



Priority 1 Approximate Areas to be DisturbedVegetation Type Original Option Preferred OptionMelaleuca 5.9ha (plus area for access from the station to

the Airport)6.5ha

Heathland 0.3ha (plus areas for a station, car parks andaccess from the station to the Airport)

1.3ha

Mangroves <0.2ha <0.2ha

Most of the melaleuca forest areas to the south of thelands associated with the Airport are degradedremnants which lie within the motorway easement.

In the vicinity of the Airport, the vegetation which wouldbe disturbed in the preferred option lies within themotorway easement. While the alignment for thepreferred option is longer than that originally proposed,it allows the station (and its attendant carparks andaccess ways) to be constructed in areas of existingdisturbance (ie motorway reserve and cane fields) andbeyond the areas of priority vegetation, therebyminimising the overall priority vegetation clearancerequirement.

11.5.2.8 Areas of Regional and/or local fauna habitatvalue

South of the Maroochy River, only small isolatedremnants now remain as a result of urban developmentand are located on privately owned land which issubject to potential development. Whilst these aresmall and subject to relatively high levels of edgeimpacts and disturbance, they continue to providehabitat refuges for a range of native species and maycontribute to the local persistence of mobile specieswith large home ranges (eg. Grey Goshawk). Two sitesadjacent to the northern side of the motorway (“Wise’sfarm land”) would be traversed by the rail alignment.The southernmost and the largest remnant would betraversed close to its centre resulting in loss of habitat,significant increases in edge environment andfragmentation of this already small isolated area. Thisis likely to significantly reduce its capacity to sustainhabitat suitability for a diverse range of fauna. Thenarrow remnant strip further to the north, east andadjacent to the motorway, does not support high faunahabitat values and the impact of the rail alignment onthis feature is not considered to be significant.

11.5.2.9 Bushland/Wildlife Corridors

South of the Maroochy River, native vegetation cover ishighly fragmented and reduced to relatively smallremnants. The Sunshine Motorway currently presentsa significant barrier to fauna movement, particularly forground-dwelling fauna. The addition of a rail serviceadjoining the Sunshine Motorway and within the highlydisturbed easement is unlikely to add significantly to theexisting impediments to fauna movements.

The northern bank of the Maroochy River supportsareas of riparian vegetation which are likely aidmovement of fauna, principally birds, up anddownstream and to nodes of remnant bushland whichadjoin this vegetated fringe. In the longer term,construction of a rail bridge is unlikely to significantlyaffect these values.

11.5.2.10 Broad Nature Conservation Areas

Within this area, the railway traverses lands designatedas part of a Broad Nature Conservation Area (BNCA)between the Maroochy River and land adjacent to theSunshine Coast Airport. The majority of these landsare either subject to agriculture, primarily sugar cane,or urban development. A relatively narrow strip ofriparian vegetation on the northern side of theMaroochy River would be crossed though this is notexpected to create a significant impact to this feature inthe longer term.

11.5.2.11 Local Council Protected Areas

No Environmental Parks or Open Space areas wouldbe directly affected by the preferred rail alignment. Thealignment passes alongside the bushland park betweenPindari St and the Sunshine Motorway, but no clearingshould be required within the park area itself. Someencroachment of edge effects would be expected intothe vegetation contained within that bushland park, butit contains a relatively narrow, degraded patch ofremnant vegetation.

11.5.3 Response

See section 8.6.3 for discussion regardingcompensatory habitat measures and policy.

Minimising clearing within the required “safety clearingzone” along the railway lines is recommended. Thiszone is the area either side of the railway lines whichwould be required to be maintained free of trees and/orother objects likely to be able to fall on or otherwisedamage the power lines associated with the train lines,or the train lines themselves. This is recommended tominimise the disturbance to the existing nativevegetation in this section and the subsequentdegradation to habitat and other ecological values ofthe area.



It is envisaged that measures which would beundertaken to minimise clearing in these areas wouldinclude:

q Lopping of trees within the clearing zone, inpreference to completely removing them;

q Retaining the low-growing vegetation layers (shrub-layer and ground-layers) except for areas wherefurther clearing is absolutely essential; and

q Where clearing must occur during the constructionphase, avoiding bulldozing (or otherwise clearingcompletely to ground level) - at most, slashing ofexisting vegetation layers should be undertaken, sothat the diversity of native plant species retained ismaximised, and that maintenance slashings be asinfrequent as possible, to maximise the habitatvalue of those areas.

In areas where the alignment passes through relativelyintact areas of disturbance-sensitive vegetation types,such as melaleuca forest areas, buffer plantings alongthe exposed forest edges is recommended, to minimiseedge-effect impacts to the remaining forest areas.Such plantings should include appropriate nativeunderstorey species such as those present within theremaining forest area itself. They should be planted atthe forest edges at a level of density which wouldprovide adequate protection to the forest environmentin terms of shading, weed inhibition and microclimatecontrol in general.

At the Maroochy River crossing, clearing in the riparianzone would be restricted where possible to lopping oftaller trees, with complete-to-ground clearing avoided.Separate crossings for access tracks would not beconstructed, as access would be able to be gained tothe crossing area from both sides of the River.

In mitigation, habitat compensation areas would besought, clearing within the “safety clearing zone” shouldbe minimised, buffer planting should be undertakenwhere clearing occurs through sensitive, relativelyundisturbed vegetation, and vegetation clearing bestrictly contained within the existing motorwayeasement. In crossing the north bank of the MaroochyRiver placement of pylons within the mangrove fringewould be avoided. The intensity and extent ofdisturbance to mangroves and intertidal flats would berestricted to only those activities critical to construction;and would result in no net loss of the current extent ofintertidal flat and dry land component within theconstruction footprint and adjacent environment. Thetiming of vegetation clearance should be selected inorder to minimise impacts (direct and indirectdisturbances) during optimum breeding periods for bothrare and threatened species (eg. September-January).Habitat removal to be strictly limited to within theexisting motorway easement.

Mitigation of indirect impacts to the Maroochy RiverWetland in this section of the route are expected to beminimised by construction of the railway on a viaductstructure approximately 80m in length. Few mitigationmeasures would be practical for the Priority Vegetationareas to the south of the Maroochy River, as most ofthe remnants would be removed during constructionand they would be of little value to protect.

11.5.4 Assessment of Effects

The following table describes the assessment of effectsof the scheme (with proposed mitigation) on terrestrialecology on this section of the route.

Table 11.6.4: Significance of Ecological Impact - Maroochydore Centre to Maroochydore AirportSection

Level of ImpactAreaSevere Major Moderate Minor Not

SignificantWise’s farm land MajorRoadside remnants MinorMaroochy R (Nth bank) MajorCanelands Not

SignificantMelaleuca Remnants MajorMotorway Easement adjacent to Lot878

Major

Lot 878 MinorPreferred Airport Station Site Not

Significant

11.6 Aquatic Ecology


This section crosses the Maroochy River adjacent theexisting Sunshine Motorway. As discussed previously,this section of the route crosses the Maroochy RiverFish Habitat Area and a portion of mangroves on thenorthern bank.



The potential impacts associated with the constructionof this section of the railway are similar to thatdescribed within the Mooloolah River section. Thewater quality impact assessment indicates that theoverall unmitigated construction of the railway wouldhave significant adverse effects, which would in turnhave adverse consequences for aquatic ecology.

The construction and positioning of the pylons withinthe Maroochy River has the potential to disturb/removeaquatic fauna in the immediate vicinity of the pylonlocations. Sessile fauna, such as benthic epi- and in-fauna at these locations is likely to be removed.However, the communities are expected to becomprised of species common to the region and wouldrapidly recolonise the area following completion ofconstruction works. Additionally, the pylons are likely tobe colonised by a range of encrusting fauna followingplacement. More mobile aquatic fauna, such asestuarine fish species, are likely to avoid the areaduring the construction phase should conditions beunsuitable. Opportunistic species, such as Bream(Acanthopagrus australis) are likely to prey uponbenthic fauna disturbed by the construction process.

The construction and placement of the pylons has thepotential to remobilise sediments in the areaimmediately adjacent to the pylon locations. This hasthe potential to generate plumes of turbid waters withassociated down-current ecological impacts (eg.smothering of benthic fauna). However theconstruction/placement technique likely to be utilised inthe Maroochy River crossing (driving) is unlikely togenerate large plumes of turbid waters as minimalsediment will be disturbed. Turbidity impacts may beexperienced in the areas immediately adjacent thepylon locations, but these are likely to be recolonisedrapidly, as stated above. No seagrasses are known tooccur in the immediate vicinity of the bridge crossing.

Some disturbance/clearing of mangroves associatedwith the route on the northern bank of the MaroochyRiver may be required.

Discussions with the Queensland Department ofPrimary Industries, Fisheries (pers. comm. Dr R.Quinn)has indicated that the placement of permanentstructures (pylons) within the Maroochy River FishHabitat Area (FHA) will require revocation of a portionof the FHA under the Fisheries Act 1994. Additionally,associated works within the FHA will require a permitfrom the QDPI under Section 51 of the Act. Liaison withthe relevant sections of the QDPI will be required todetermine the requirements of the revocation processand Section 51 application for the final bridgeconstruction.

Recreational angling (both shore and boat based)within the Maroochy River is a popular activity. Accessto the immediate vicinity of the crossing location torecreational and/or traditional fishermen may be

somewhat restricted during the construction, but islikely to be a short term impact and limited in extent.This area represents a very small area of that availablefor recreational and/or traditional fishing within theRiver. Boat access past the construction site in the formof a navigation channel would be maintained at alltimes in accordance with Transport Regulations.

Commercial fishing operations are not permitteddownstream of the “Cod Hole”, approximately 250mupstream of the proposed crossing location. As suchcommercial operations would not be directly impactedby railway construction activities.

The operational phase of the railway is unlikely toprovide any significant impact to the hydrodynamicenvironment of the River, but unmitigated water qualityimpacts may have an adverse impact on the MaroochyRiver’s water quality. As such, the operational phase ofthe proposed railway without mitigation measures couldhave an adverse impact upon the aquatic ecology ofthe River, due to water quality degradation.

11.6.2 Response

Whilst the crossings would involve the removal of acorridor of riparian vegetation, these impacts would beminimised. Additionally construction impacts would beminimised by adherence to the EnvironmentalManagement Plans (EMP’s) presented in Chapter 12.

11.6.3 Assessment

Overall the potential impact of the construction of themitigated CAMCOS development upon the MaroochyRiver, with reference to aquatic ecology, would beconsidered moderate adverse (due primarily to thepresence of the Maroochy River Fish Habitat Area).The impact of the operational phase of thedevelopment would be considered to be minoradverse.

11.7 Hydraulics

11.7.1 Introduction

From Maroochydore to the Airport the proposed rail lineis adjacent to the Sunshine Motorway and crosses theMaroochy River and its floodplains. On the southernapproach to the Maroochy River there is a large culvertin the Sunshine Motorway designed it is assumed toconvey flow which breaks out of Eudlo Creek. North ofthe River the route passes through cane fields on theflood plain of the Maroochy River. The locations atwhich drainage structures are required are shown inFigure 4.7.6f and 100 year ARI flood levels anddischarges, and structure sizes are given in Table11.7.1.



WBM has an ESTRY model (WBM 1994) covering thisregion from which the flood levels have been adoptedfor this report. For the 100 year event the model has atidal boundary peak of 2.06 m which is a synthesis ofthe mean spring tide and a storm surge as described bythe BPA(1985) and is considered to be a conservativeupper limit. It includes an allowance for wave set upwhich is only partially valid at a river mouth. Asensitivity test was undertaken to determine theinfluence of the boundary condition on the flood levelsand discharges in the vicinity of the route. The 100year event was also run with a 20 year boundary with apeak level of 1.22 m. The flood levels dropped by 10mm and the variation in the discharge was typically lessthan 1%. On the basis of this analysis it was concludedthe results at the route were not sensitive to theboundary conditions up to a peak of 2.06 m.

The WBM ESTRY model indicates that the SunshineMotorway is graded above the 100 year flood levelalong this section. Therefore the structures in the railline only need to be duplications of those in theSunshine Motorway and there would not be asignificant increase in levels in events up to the 100year, assuming that the culverts are continuous throughboth embankments or control works are implementedbetween the embankments to minimise expansion ofthe flow. The only exceptions are MA5 and MA9. MA5is positioned at the current David Low Way overpass.Ground levels through the overpass indicate that part ofthe southern overpass bridge would convey flow in a100 year event. MA5 was sized on this estimatedwaterway area. MA9 is adjacent to Sunshine Motorwayculvert 11A (Plan No. 258178) which is a 9/2440x600RCBC . The ESTRY model indicates that this culvert isinadequate to pass a 100 year event withoutovertopping the Sunshine Motorway. If this culvert was

simply duplicated in the rail embankment there wouldpotentially be a large afflux in the 100 year event. Inthe physical model used by the Department of MainRoads to size these culverts some of this flow mayhave been conveyed by the drainage structures locatedapproximately 550 m to the north of Finland Road orfurther to the south where the WBM model indicatesthat the culverts are oversized. Because of theuncertainty at this stage the recommended culvertstructure at MA9 is larger than the one in the motorway.Further detailed modelling would be required toestablish the distribution of flows.

As with the other sections of the route, therecommended waterway areas would not significantlyincrease upstream flood levels in events up to the 100year. However, if the rail is graded above the 100 yearflood level and above the motorway, it would increaseupstream flood levels in events between that whichcauses overtopping of the motorway and that whichovertops the rail line flood levels.

The CAMCOS route would not significantly alter thehydrology or hydraulics of the Maroochy River in floodevents up to the 100 year.

Table 11.7.1: 100 Year ARI Flood Levels & Discharges, and Structure SizesMaroochydore to Sunshine Coast Airport

WaterwayIdentification

100 Year ARIDischarge (m3/s)

100 Year ARIUpstream FloodLevel (mAHD)

Structure Size

MA1 230 2.50 35/3000 x 1800 RCBC

MA2 3020 2.30 405 m

MA3 50 2.45 21/3000 x 1200 RCBC

MA4 65 2.55 45/3000*1200 RCBC

MA5 - - 4/2400*600 RCBC

MA6 - - 3350 x 1520 RCBC

MA7 130 2.80 21/3660 x 1200 RCBC

MA8 180 2.95 140 m2

MA9 - - 1830 x 1200 RCBC



11.8 Water Quality


In this section of the route, the only waterwaypotentially affected is the Maroochy River. TheMaroochy River contains a Fish Habitat Area, andtherefore the protection of water quality in the River isimportant. Based on available water quality informationand the water quality undertaken for this study, theMaroochy River maintains good water quality.

The potential impacts to water quality from the routewould be higher in the construction phase. Areasexposed from the earthworks phase could contribute ahigh sediment load to receiving waters, unlessmitigated. Increased sediment loads to the MaroochyRiver would be undesirable due to the numerousadverse ecological impacts that could occur. Theseimpacts could include: decreasing light penetration(which has implications for photosynthetic andrespiration processes), reducing the suitable habitat forsome aquatic species which cannot tolerate such turbidconditions and reducing the aesthetic appeal ofwaterways. Siltation of the waterways may also occur,which can smother aquatic submerged macrophytes(which stabilise creek banks) and benthic fauna. Suchwater quality impacts to a Fish Habitat Area (ascontained within the Maroochy River) would be highlyundesirable.

A smaller potential impact to water quality arises fromaccidental spillages of materials associated with railconstruction (eg. fuel, lubricants etc.) during theconstruction phase. These materials could cause waterquality degradation in downstream waterways, if notprevented from entering waterways.

During the operational phases, potential water qualityimpacts from the railway line are smaller than duringthe construction phase, with railways having only aminor potential for water quality impacts. Someincrease in pollutant loads from the railway track mayresult, including some oils and greases and possiblyherbicides (used to keep the tracks weed free). Thepotential for large hydrocarbon or pollutant spillagesduring the operational phase would be negligible, asthe railway would be electric.

During the operation phase of the railway, pollutantsmay accumulate on the carparking areas at stationsduring dry periods and be washed into downstreamwaterways during subsequent runoff events.Depending on the pollutants accumulated, water qualitydegradation and adverse impacts to aquatic flora andfauna may result. The potential for car parking impactsto water quality is limited in this section of the route.The Bradman Avenue carpark is small in extent and thelarger carpark at the Sunshine Coast Airport is distantfrom the Maroochy River (>5km). Therefore, these

carparks have only a limited potential to impact onwater quality of the Maroochy River.

These impacts have the potential to affect the waterquality of the Maroochy River, which currentlymaintains good water quality. The Mooloolah River isnot only considered a feature of regional significance,but also contains a Fish Habitat Area and therefore anyincrease in the pollutant load to the River would behighly undesirable.

11.8.2 Response

The potential water quality impacts from the railwayconstruction and operation would be mitigated usingthe following measures.

11.8.3 Best Practice Sediment and Erosion ControlMeasures

Providing best practice sediment and erosion controlmeasures are implemented and maintained during theentire construction phase, the potential impacts towater quality would be minimised. Such best practicesediment and erosion control measures would includethe provision of sedimentation basins, flocculation ofbasin discharges, minimising exposed soil areas anddiverting upstream runoff from exposed areas. Moredetail on the sediment and erosion control measuresrecommended for the construction phase of the railwaywould be determined at the design stage of the project.It has been recommended that sediment and erosioncontrol measures be designed to effectively treatevents up to a one in one year average recurrenceinterval, which is the largest event which can bepractically treated with best management measures.

11.8.4 Treatment of Track Runoff by VegetatedSwales

It has been recommended that runoff from the railwayand access tracks be directed into vegetated swales tofilter runoff prior to it flowing into vegetated areasand/or waterways. Natural topography and drainagefeatures would be utilised to direct runoff into thevegetated swales, and native vegetation would beretained for this purpose, where possible.

11.8.5 Minimise and Manage Herbicide Application

It is recommended that the application practices of anyherbicides are carefully controlled, with no excessherbicide applied. Herbicides which have beendesigned to minimise potential water quality and faunalimpacts, by degrading rapidly to harmless by-productsare recommended.



11.8.6 Treatment of Carpark Runoff

Mitigation measures recommended to reduce the loadof pollutants from carparking areas prior to enteringreceiving waters include:

q Inclusion of sediment removal structures, such asContinuous Deflective System or CDS units, atmajor stormwater outlet points. Sediment removalunits (such as CDS’s) are capable of removing 95%of all gross pollutants (ie litter and coarse sediment)from stormwater (Cargill R., July 1997). Theseunits are also effective for removing hydrocarbonsfrom stormwater runoff;

q Inclusion of vegetated swales, where possible, tofilter minor runoff flows prior to discharge fromcarparking areas; and

q Regular sweeping and maintenance of carparkingareas to minimise the accumulation of pollutants incarparking areas.

11.8.7 Assessment

The potential for erosion and high sediment loadsarising from the construction phase would be largelymitigated by the use of best practice sediment anderosion control measures given above. More detail onthe sediment and erosion control measuresrecommended for the construction phase would bedetermined at the design stage of the project.

Some increased potential for high sediment exportwould still exist, as large storm events cannot beeffectively treated, even with the adoption of bestmanagement practice measures. This increasedpotential for sediment export during the constructionphase would result in a moderate adverse waterquality impact, as the potential impacts to the highlysignificant waterway are able to be successfullymitigated.

During the operational phase potential water qualityimpacts are all minor. Runoff from carparking areas atstations would be only a minor impact due to the sizeand/or distance from the River of the carparking areasand the railway route itself also has only a minorpotential for adverse water quality impacts. Mitigationmeasures for the carparking areas, would ensurepollutant loads from carparking areas are minimisedand only minor increases, if any, in pollutantconcentrations would result in receiving waters.

Therefore, during the operational phase the impactsfrom the proposed railway would be minor adverse,based on only a slight potential for increased pollutantloads to nationally significant waterways.

11.9 Cultural Heritage

11.9.1 Future Situation Without the Scheme

No sites have been identified through this section. Thepossibility of locating artefactual material through thisarea is considered to be low.


No sites were defined in this section that would beaffected by the proposed scheme.

11.9.3 Response

Although no sites were located, it is recommended thatmonitoring by Aboriginal representatives occur alongthe banks of the Maroochy River.

11.10 Noise and Vibration


11.10.1.1 Construction Noise and Vibration

The main construction activities on this section of theroute would be:

q Construction of a railway bridge over MaroochyRiver at Maroochydore;

q Construction of a bridge parallel to the existingSunshine Motorway bridge over the roundabout onMaroochydore Road;

q Construction of a bridge parallel to the existingSunshine Motorway bridge over the roundabout atPacific Paradise;

q Construction of a major commuter railway stationand a carpark by the Sunshine Coast Airport;

q Construction of a railway embankment throughmainly flat terrain not subject to flooding orcontrolled by culverts.

The main sources of noise during the construction inthis section of the route would be the noise from theearth moving activities (large trucks and embankmentcompaction equipment).

The construction of the viaducts and bridges wouldproduce noise from the use of earth moving equipment,concrete trucks, cranes, compressors, generators, andpilling equipment.

The main residential areas along the MaroochydoreCentre to Sunshine Coast Airport section of theproposed route are located around the MaroochydoreCentre. The background noise levels in this section isrelatively high ranging from 46 dB(A) by night to 60dB(A) by day (see Table 5.13b section 5.13). Most ofthe noise is generated by the traffic on the SunshineMotorway and it is likely that a lot of the construction



noise would be only slightly higher than the existingbackground noise levels. In spite of this there would besome temporary loss of amenity for noise sensitiveplaces during the construction, depending on the typeof activities being undertaken and their proximity.

Available plans for future development along thissection of the route indicate that there may beextensive noise sensitive development in the MaroochyCentre area of the proposed route and in the areaalong the existing Pacific Paradise development. As aresult, by the time of the construction of the railwaysignificantly larger number of noise sensitive placesmay be affected, if the future development is notundertaken with regard for the proposed railway route.

Provided proper noise mitigation measures areimplemented (as specified in the EMP, Chapter 12) thenoise impacts from the construction activities can becontrolled to a level of moderate, temporary impact atnoise sensitive places.

Vibration levels due to construction activities areexpected to be generally very low and would typicallynot be perceptible at the nearest residential locations.The activities which would tend to create the highestlevels of vibration would be piling, rock breaking (ifrequired), and vibrating compaction equipment. If thiswork is expected to occur within 25m of residencesthen vibration may become perceptible and monitoringwould be undertaken in accordance with the EMP toaddress any concerns residents may have regardingthe activities.

11.10.2 Operational Noise and Vibration

In the Maroochydore Centre to Maroochy Airportsection of proposed railway line the predicted levelsindicate that the noise criteria would be meet at adistance of 22 metres from the centre-line of the trackon embankments and at a distance of 27 metres fromthe centre-line of the track on concrete bridges orviaducts (see Figure 11.10.2).

The only area along the route where the EPP (Noise)planing criteria would be exceeded at noise sensitiveplaces is to the south of Maroochy River, near HenleyPark in Maroochydore. There are 16 properties alongMaroochy Waters Drive, and a larger retirement villageoff Main Road, that are very close to the railway line(approximately 14 metres). Noise attenuationmeasures, such as noise barriers, will need to beconstructed in this area.

To the south of this area the Sunshine Motorway iselevated through the Maroochydore Road Interchange.The nearest residential properties are 70 metres fromthe centre-line of the railway line track in this area. Thenoise level in this area would therefore exceed thenoise indicator levels. The noise sensitive receptors atPacific Paradise Development (nearest properties are

100 metres from the railway centre-line) would alsoexperience noise levels above the indicator levels.

The future development plans for the area involvemajor residential development in the areas where theproposed railway line passes. If the nose level fromfuture trains is not reduced, the increased residentialdevelopment would result in larger number of noisesensitive places being affected by the operation of therailway.

Vibration levels due to electric trains passing residentialareas are not expected to be perceptible to buildingoccupants. In addition to the electric passenger trains,maintenance work forms part of the operation noiseassociated with the rail lines. Most maintenancevehicles are powered by diesel motors and are fittedwith exhaust silencers and in some cases acousticenclosures are installed around the engines to minimisenoise. Whilst this will reduce the noise, the primaryoperations of tamping, grinding, ballast screening andplacement are often noisier and are more difficult totreat. These operations are performed onlyoccasionally and hence are not considered to representsignificant noise impact.

A railway station is proposed near Maroochy Airport forthe section of the route. The two potential sources ofnoise from the station are public address (PA) systemsused for announcing train information to passengersand vehicle noise associated with passenger set-downand pick-up carparks.

11.10.2.1 Response

Noise attenuation measures, such as noise barriers,will need to be constructed in this area. The design ofthe barriers will need to consider the complication thatsome of the residences are two story dwellings. Theheight of any noise barriers in this area will have to besignificant to reduce the noise level at the upper floor ofthe affected two storey houses.

The PA systems will be designed to minimise noise toneighbours while maintaining speech intelligibility forpassengers on the station platform. Designconsiderations include the use of directionalloudspeakers aimed along the platform and spacedclose together (eg. 15m) to allow the source level to bereduced. Modern systems also include the use of anautomatic gain control circuit to control the level ofautomatic train announcements.

The station car park near the Sunshine Coast Airport isintended to have 150 – 300 spaces in the medium termand potentially some 500 spaces in the longer term.This may be less if the Pacific Paradise station isdeveloped, therefore providing car parking capacity.Noise impacts will be minimised by arranging thecarpark to be accessed as directly as possible viabusier roads (eg. the Sunshine Motorway). The impact



from this station is expected to be minimal due to thedistance from residential areas. If the carpark wasdirectly adjacent to noise sensitive areas, noise barrierfences may be erected to reduced intrusion from noiseand car headlights.

11.10.2.2 Assessment

With the installation of suitable noise barriers the noiseimpact at the most exposed noise sensitive placeswould result in moderate adverse effects.

11.11 Landscape

11.11.1 Introduction

The landscape analysis has focused on those areasthat have been identified by the Consultants andthrough the public consultation process as being ofconcern to local residents. Within this section of theroute the following locations are assessed.

q Sunshine Motorway just north of Commercial Roadwhere the rail alignment would be located withinthe Sunshine Motorway corridor; and

q Maroochy River crossing where the bridgestructure carrying the rail line is adjacent to theMotorway crossing.


11.11.2.1 Sunshine Motorway at Commercial Road

The rail alignment is proposed to run along the easternside of the Sunshine Motorway reserve. In the future,the Sunshine Motorway will have to be upgraded toaccommodate future demand. Figure 11.11.2a showsthis context with the widened motorway and the railalignment within the Motorway reserve.

The impacts within this precinct are significant due tothe constrained amount of land within the reserve toaccommodate road widening and the rail alignment andhence the lack of room for significant landscapebuffers. Residents at Regents Landing Retirementvillage to the east of the Motorway are not currentlyexposed to views from the Motorway due to thepresence of a noise mound. There would be arequirement for acoustic barriers to be located adjacentto the Regents Landing Retirement Village and to thenorth. It is anticipated that these barriers would bufferresidents from any views from the rail alignment.

11.11.2.2 Maroochy River Crossing

A new bridge structure would be required to take therail across the Maroochy River. This structure would beconstructed at the same height as the existingSunshine Motorway bridge and would parallel it for its

length. Figure 11.11.2b shows the bridge in relation tothe Sunshine Motorway bridge. The new bridge wouldbe visible from residential properties located onBradman Avenue. However, as it does not break theskyline above or below the existing road bridge that liesbehind, it is considered that it would be absorbed intothe existing environment and not be visually intrusive.

11.11.3 Mitigation

11.11.3.1 Sunshine Motorway at Commercial Road

Existing vegetation would be retained where possibleand the acoustic barriers would also be buffered withplanting which would assist in minimising the visualimpact upon the surrounds. The planting and barrierdesign would need to be coordinated to achieve anaesthetically acceptable screen.

11.11.4 Assessment of Effects

The visual effect of the rail alignment for residentsalong the Sunshine Motorway is considered to bemoderate adverse given the limited scope formitigation in this corridor.

The effect of the rail bridge across the Maroochy Riveron the local landscape is considered to be minoradverse.

11.12 Overall Effects

The majority of the route in this section follows theeastern edge of the Sunshine Motorway all the way toSunshine Coast Airport. A new crossing of theMaroochy River is required. West of the Maroochycentre, the route traverses through largely undevelopedland which is expected to be development as a master-planned community. Land take from these properties isconsidered to result in a minor adverse effect giventhat appropriate levels of compensation are provided.The remainder of the route would not cause anysignificant detrimental effects on land use and planningfor the area as it is mostly contained within theSunshine Motorway reserve.

A significant issue that arose during the IAS processwas the importance in ecological terms of lot 878adjacent to Sunshine Coast Airport. At the end ofStage 2 of the project the rail alignment terminated inthe centre of this property. Consultation and ecologicalfield work during the development of the IAS hasrecognised the importance of this area andconsequently the alignment has been moved so that itcontinues within the motorway reserve to a point northwest of the existing airport buildings. The station isnow proposed on land use for cane farming and islocated outside of ecologically sensitive areas.



Major adverse effects would result with construction ofthe alignment across the north bank of the MaroochyRiver, through remnants of melaleuca and within themotorway easement adjacent to Lot 878. In addition,loss of melaleuca woodland on land owned by DMRadjacent to the Sunshine Motorway would also result inmajor adverse effects. Minor adverse effects wouldresult from impacts on roadside remnants and lot 878.During construction of the new rail bridge across theMaroochy River, moderate adverse effects on aquaticecology would be anticipated due to impacts on theFish Habitat Area. Operational effects on aquaticecology within this section would be minor adverse.

A range of mitigation and offset measures have beenincorporated with the scheme to ameliorate theseimpacts such as:

q Inclusion of a compensatory habitat policy to offsetlosses of areas of ecological significance thatcannot be mitigated. The intent is that areas of atleast equal conservation value would be soughtwhich could be acquired and/or rehabilitated tocompensate for the loss and/or degradation(including edge effects) of native flora and faunahabitat within the public transport corridor.

q Specific design features to mitigate direct andindirect effects on ecological features including:

- placement of pylon structures in riverineenvironments to avoid marine plants such asmangroves;

- Buffer planting along exposed forest edges;and

- Measures to minimise additional clearingoutside of that required for safety reasons.

During the operational phase of the rail alignmentimpacts of the rail alignment would be minor adversebased on only a minimal potential for increasedpollutant loads to nationally significant waterways ieMaroochy River FHA.

No cultural heritage sites were identified in this section.

With the installation of suitable noise barriers the noiseimpact at the most exposed noise sensitive placeswould result in moderate adverse effects.

With respect to landscape and visual effects forresidents along the Sunshine Motorway, the proposednoise attenuation measures and associated landscapeplanting would act as a visual screen from theMotorway corridor. In visual terms the effect isconsidered moderate adverse given the limited scopefor mitigation in this corridor. The effect of the railbridge on the local landscape across the MaroochyRiver is considered to be minor adverse.

Continuation of the CAMCOS corridor north fromMaroochydore has implications for the grading of the

SAL over the Sunshine Motorway and intoMaroochydore. Construction activities in this area andalong the Sunshine Motorway will need to be carefullystaged so as not to cause major disruption to the futuregateway entry of Maroochydore. Local trafficmanagement plans will need to be developed inconjunction with Maroochy Shire and Main Roads.

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