Stacey Bentley, Sunshine Coast Council
Stacey Bentley is the Senior Open Space and Recreation Planner for the Open Space and Social Policy team at Sunshine Coast Council. Stacey is responsible for the development, implementation and review of the strategic and longer term open space and recreation planning on the Sunshine Coast. Stacey holds a Bachelor of Business and a Diploma of Local Government Planning and has worked in Local Government for 5 years now. Stacey employs an integrated approach to open space planning and is a passionate advocate for sustaining green space on the Sunshine Coast.
Abstract:
The Inter-urban Break (IUB) is a 63,000-hectare area that overlaps the Sunshine Coast Council and Moreton Bay Regional Council areas. It encompasses the scenic Ramsar wetlands of the Pumicestone Passage, the iconic Glass House Mountains, forested and agricultural landscapes and most of Bribie Island. The South East Queensland (SEQ) Regional Plan recognises the IUB as a valuable non-urban space separating Greater Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Protecting this buffer is a key goal of Sunshine Coast Council’s Environment and Liveability Strategy. The IUB is one of SEQ’s most popular locations for outdoor activities, including bushwalking, climbing, four-wheel driving, mountain biking, fishing and trail-bike riding.
The purpose of the Inter-urban Break Outdoor Recreation Plan is to guide planning for recreational activities throughout the area. It was developed in partnership by Sunshine Coast Council, HQPlantations, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Sport and Recreation Services Queensland and Moreton Bay Regional Council. Many of the activities covered under the plan have different needs. Also, the community groups involved in these activities have different views on how the area should be used. The plan recognises that these different views all need to be considered in the management of recreation across the area.
The Outdoor Recreation Plan provides land managers with a guide for supporting a wide range of recreational opportunities in suitable locations across the IUB. Critically, it balances support for these activities with protection of the natural beauty of the landscape that makes it such an outstanding recreational destination in the first place