Photomontage needed before solar farm can be approved
Shire development
The owners of a planned new solar farm on Captain Cook Highway near the Killaloe dump turn-off have been asked to provide detailed new drawings of the visual impacts of the panels at years zero, three and five from different angles before council planners will consider the proposal further.
The development, on farmland owned by the Noli family at 6868 Captain Cook Highway, was first proposed in April 2025 as a 7ha solar farm near Vic’s Nursery, and has been supported by Douglas Shire councillors in principle, as long as a series of planning requests are met.
The application has since been withdrawn and resubmitted, with the latest request for information due by August 6.
The council has requested a photomontage, views from scenic routes and an assessment of likely impacts on views as part of the latest demands.
The plan has prompted debate about how prime farming land should be used in the wake of the closure of the Mossman Mill and the transition away from sugar-cane farming.
In the latest information provided by the developers, they justify the need for the land in those terms.
“As Queensland’s second largest agricultural export, the sugar milling industry has played an influential role in the employment and economic wellbeing of regional communities and population growth in Douglas Shire,” they said.
“Now, Douglas Shire is undergoing a significant transition period as a consequence of the retirement of the Mossman Sugar Mill that has left an abundance of former cane land vacant.
“There is an immediate need to diversify the Shire’s economic base and explore sustainable, viable options for the regional economy and workforce.”
Mayor Lisa Scomazzon and Cr Michael Rees both spoke at the April 2025 council meeting in favour of building the solar farm.
The applicants have stated in a previous letter to the council there were plans to plant shrubs and trees to help hide the panels from the highway, and some of the adjacent land at the about 88ha site was already being used for crops such as taro and ginger.
