Development on Cape York a step closer

A potential World Heritage nomination for Queensland's Cape York doesn't figure in the government's 20-year plan for the area, the state's deputy premier says.

A draft plan for the peninsula was handed to the Cape York Regional Planning Committee on Wednesday and will likely be finalised by mid-2014 following public consultation.

The plan will replace the previous government's Wild Rivers Act.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says the plan outlines areas suitable for agriculture, tourism and mining, while protecting high-value farm land and the environment.

"The communities on Cape York deserve the opportunity to build a future just as every other Queenslander deserves that opportunity," he said.

Environmental groups say the plan opens up pristine areas on Cape York for development and removes laws protecting rivers.

"They want to open up the most sensitive waterways and landscapes to mining, dams and land clearing on an unprecedented scale," Wilderness Society spokesman Gavan McFadzean said.

He says the plan puts in jeopardy the aspirations of some Traditional Owners to nominate Cape York as a World Heritage site.

Mr Seeney says he's "simply not interested" in a World Heritage nomination.

"I'm more interested in the economic futures of the communities on the Cape," he said.

Australian Conservation Foundation spokesman Andrew Picone, who sits on the committee, says he's disappointed some members raised concerns about the size of the area outlined as environmentally significant.

The committee, formed in September last year, includes nine local mayors, six government MPs, two environmentalists, and representatives from the Queensland Resources Council and Agforce.

Prominent indigenous leaders Noel and Gerhardt Pearson are also members.

The work of the committee runs parallel to the state government's creation of Bioregion Management Plan to replace Wild Rivers declarations across Cape York.