Tourism operators on a southern Great Barrier Reef island have cautiously welcomed news, of the state government taking back the leases to an abandoned resort.
Woppa-Great Keppel island is home to several small accommodation and tourism operators, and an old resort that was known as a party paradise in the 80s.
Sydney-based developer Tower Holdings bought the leases to the site in 2006 and shut the doors two years later.
It has sat idle ever since and seen a revolving door of developers which have tried — and failed — to bring it back to life.
On Friday, the Queensland government confirmed it had cancelled Tower Holdings' six leases on the old resort site, due to non-payment of the lease fees.
While the state government has touted it as a great success that will mean a 'clean slate' for redeveloping the island, local tourism operators are only cautiously optimistic.
Kelly Harris, an accommodation and restaurant operator on the island, said it had 'been a long 15 years' waiting for something to happen.
"We've been in stop start mode for too long. I guess the success of lease take back will be determined by what actually happens next," Mr Harris said.
"If they [the leases] just sit there dormant for another three or five years, then maybe it wasn't the right thing to do.
"But if the state gets cracking and provide some of that common user infrastructure that commercial operators require on the island, then that definitely was the right thing to do."
'A new beginning'
The Labor Member for Keppel, Brittany Lauga, hailed the latest move as a 'new beginning' for the island.
"We no longer have a lease holder in the way of getting things done on those six leased areas," Ms Lauga said.
"The forfeiture was as a result of non-payment of the lease fees or rent on the island."
Ms Lauga said Tower Holdings owed the state $875,000 in rent.
She said a master plan for the island was in progress through the Department of State Development, that would open for community consultation in the next few months.
"It's going to be a great opportunity for everyone to have their say about what happens next."
Tower Holdings has 28 days to appeal the decision and has been contacted for comment.
Small-scale and sustainable
Mr Harris said future development on the island needed to be small scale and sustainable, with the days of island mega-resorts now over.
"I think that's what visitors are looking for, that eco experience," Mr Harris said.
Mr Harris said sewerage systems on the island needed urgent attention.
"We've got the only functioning sewage treatment plant at the moment; a lot of the other residents and operators are still running septic systems."
He said erosion on Putney Beach and accessibility to the island were also priorities, with a jetty desperately needed.
Mary Carrol, CEO of central Queensland tourism body Capricorn Enterprise, said lessons should be learnt from the past 15 years, about how to approach any future development.
"Whatever happens going forward, it's the state government that owns the land and the state government that needs to make sure that the legislation surrounding the future accommodation built on GK is not tied up in red, green and whatever other kind of tape we've seen in the past."
