JAN Clifford doesn't think Airlie Beach needs to become another Gold or Sunshine Coast.

"It is special, however there is a gap in our accommodation and retail offerings which would benefit the entire community if filled by way of employment opportunities," she said.

The Division 1 councillor, whose constituents live in the Whitsunday township currently at the centre of a building height dispute, believes there's a lot of misunderstanding about what's already permissable in Airlie Beach.

Cr Clifford thinks people should be aware that under the current town plan, there's a height restriction of four storeys on the southern or lagoon side of the Airlie Beach main street, while on the northern, or Woolworths side of the street, the limit is currently five storeys. Although the Airlie Beach Hotel had an original approval for seven storeys, Cr Clifford thinks five would be adequate and she's happy with the four and five storeys initially proposed for the Port of Airlie site.

In the Waterson Way area Cr Clifford says she's been told by consultants and planners there's a need for a relaxation of height restrictions, which she believes could be offset by a reduction in site coverage "to say a maximum of 40 or 50%".

Since Whitsunday Regional Council took its draft town planning scheme to a public meeting in Airlie Beach last month, Cr Clifford, as the local government representative for that division, has found herself under fire, with some in the community accusing her of abandoning the "Save Our Foreshore" platform they say she was re-elected on.

While still vehemently opposed to any use of public land for private development, Cr Clifford points out that Council's draft scheme is exactly that - a starting point - and says she always expected it to be contentious.

"(But) I have and will continue to work for the best interests of all the ratepayers and residents of the Whitsundays," she said.

"My major concern is for the future of our youth. Will there be meaningful jobs for them here in the Whitsundays or will they have to go elsewhere to find employment? Will everyone who wants a full time job be able to find one and be paid a decent wage?

"Life is a compromise and it is a matter of deciding what you are willing to compromise for the future of your children and indeed for yourselves."