Category: Booth Camp

North Harbour Marina PDA will bring big benefits for small business owners

Are you a small business owner based in the Moreton Bay region? You are not alone! Around 32,900 commercial operators are active in our area and more than 90% of these are small businesses.

The number of business owners choosing to work from home has never been higher as families adapt to the impact of coronavirus and recognise the lifestyle benefits that home working can offer.

This group is expected to be a big winner from an influx of new amenities, infrastructure, residents and jobs that will flow from the future North Harbour Marina Precinct.

Sarah Gaffney, the founder of home-based beauty salon, Bair Beauty, has lived in Burpengary East for more than seven years. As a mother of four, Sarah says running a home-based business has perfectly complemented her lifestyle.

 

North Harbour small business owners

 

“I started Bair Beauty about 14 years ago when my first child was born because I wanted to be able to work and look after my children at the same time,” said Sarah.

“Living in the Moreton Bay region has enabled me to do just that.”

Sarah is looking forward to new growth coming to the region including the North Harbour community, which will bring more than 12,500 new residents to Burpengary East once complete.

“The benefits of having a home-based business in Moreton Bay are endless due to all the new infrastructure, in particular the development of the North Harbour marina,” said Sarah.

“There are a lot of older people that have lived here for generations, but we are slowly seeing more families come to the region which is very exciting.

“Having the North Harbour Marina in the area will have unparalleled benefits not only to local businesses but also to the wider Moreton Bay region.”

Home-based businesses are already reaping the benefits of Moreton Bay’s growing population, which is forecast to surpass that of Tasmania in the next 20 years, growing from 479,639 residents to approximately 697,000 by 2041.

North Harbour Project Director Bryan Finney said he recognised the important role small business played in driving the Moreton Bay economy.

“Small businesses are critical for a growing economy with high employment opportunities,” said Mr Finney.

“North Harbour Marina will support the creation and growth of small businesses in the Moreton Bay region by accommodating thousands of new residents as this exciting masterplanned community continues to evolve following a PDA declaration.

“The North Harbour PDA will attract more small businesses to Moreton Bay while also bringing unparalleled benefits to existing businesses in the region, including local home-based businesses.”

North Harbour Marina opens a new chapter in the Caboolture River’s rich history

A North Harbour Priority Development Area (PDA) declaration will unlock a scenic stretch of the Caboolture River, enabling future generations of Moreton Bay residents and visitors to experience this stunning location for themselves.

This 12km long missing piece of the Caboolture River will become an unrivalled destination for recreational, sporting, cultural and tourism-based activities at North Harbour Marina, delivering a connection to the open waters of Moreton Bay.

For around 160 years this riverine area of Caboolture River frontage has been disconnected from the community as private ownership made it inaccessible.

This timeline will help you understand more about the past and present as we look forward to our exciting future.

History of the Caboolture River and Raff Creek

How much do you know about our rich and diverse local history?

The Kabi Kabi people are the traditional custodians of the land around Caboolture, of which the Caboolture River is an important natural feature. The name ‘Caboolture’ is derived from Kabul-tur which means “place of the carpet snake” in the language of the Quandamooka people from nearby Stradbroke Island.

The first free Europeans, the Archer brothers, arrived in September 1841 when the region was still part of New South Wales. The Caboolture River was vital to the growing timber industry as local red cedar logs were rafted downstream to Deception Bay.

In 1866, the Moray Field Plantation was established on the southern bank of the Caboolture River by Brisbane politician and businessman George Raff.

Extensive sugarcane cultivation continued at the plantation until 1887 with people from the South Sea Islands working as indentured labourers to harvest and process the sugar, molasses and rum.

During the twentieth century the riverside land was used for cattle farming and as a pine plantation.

The North Harbour story

The concept for North Harbour was born in 2004, when a rigorous process of planning and assessment for North Harbour began. In 2006 the proposal was declared a project of State Significance by the State Government.

North Harbour received approval under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in 2012 and following subsequent State and Local Government approvals commenced residential development in 2015. The first residents moved into the North Harbour community in 2016 and North Harbour is now home to approximately 2,500 residents.

The North Harbour masterplanned community includes 319 hectares of recreational and regional open space and is expected to be home to around 12,000 residents along Caboolture River.  Further approvals are required to achieve the full vision for the community, including declaration of the Marine Precinct as a Priority Development Area.