PLANS for a cancer wellness centre in Cairns are under threat after a council move to block development on its proposed site.
State and federal politicians and health campaigners are outraged at Cairns Regional Council's decision to turn the Reservoir Rd site into a conservation zone.
Mayor Val Schier used her casting vote to get the decision through this week's planning meeting, with the absence of Cr Sno Bonneau leaving the remaining 10 councillors evenly split on the issue.
The site was given to the Cancer Committee for Oncology Unit Cairns Hospital (COUCH) by the Woodward family, and detailed plans for a $22 million wellness centre have been developed.
They include an 18-unit accommodation centre for patients and a medical centre.
About 1ha of the land has been put aside for a conservation zone in the plans.
"This would be a win for everybody - it would preserve the environment and provide this very special place," COUCH founder Charles Woodward said yesterday.
"The council should be getting behind this."
Cairns MP Desley Boyle and Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch both said they would put petitions in their offices to allow people to express their opposition to the decision.
"If this is the sort of thing this council is doing, it's no bloody wonder we are on our knees," Mr Entsch said.
"I will be doing everything I can to put sanity back into this."
Ms Boyle said she would "be telling the council that they have got it wrong".
"It's an excellent project and that is the ideal block of land for it," she said.
Deputy Mayor Margaret Cochrane said councillors should have held off on the decision before seeing the COUCH plans.
Twenty-six other sites have also been selected for rezoning, based on environmental and hillslope conservation considerations, including Taylor Point at Trinity Beach.
The decision will go to the State Government for sign-off and be subject to public consultation before final approval is given.
Cr Schier said the council would listen to the public's views before signing-off on the decision.
