Whitsunday home owners in the dark over cable-car project

The project design includes a lookout at the top of the summit complex. (Supplied: Australian Adventure Tourism Group)

Approvals for a new 1.8-kilometre cable car way in Airlie Beach are set to be fast-tracked.

Whitsunday home owners say consultation with the developer has been limited.

State and federal approvals are required before construction can begin.

Home owners fear they are being left in the dark as a $140 million cable-car project is fast-tracked for one of Queensland's most desirable locations.

The proposed Whitsunday Skyway will feature 1.8 kilometres of cableway, connecting tourists from a base at Airlie Beach to a mid-station and summit area in the Conway National Park.

A second stage will involve the addition of mountain bike trails.

Developers say the cable car project will bring in an extra 250,000 visitors to the region each year.

The Queensland government declared it a "prescribed project" on Monday, meaning any approvals could be overseen by the office of the coordinator-general.

Whitsunday Climate Council president Tony Fontes said he feared the project could now be "pushed through" assessments, shortening environmental investigations.

Tony Fontes says no development should be happening in the Conway National Park. (Supplied)

"This project has been cloaked in secrecy from the beginning," he said.

"National parks are there for a reason; it's to protect the environment in its pristine condition," he said.

The Whitsunday Skyway is still under environmental assessment. (Supplied: Australian Adventure Tourism Group)

The Australian Adventure Tourism Group (AATG) and Queensland government are bypassing the need for a competitive tender process, instead using an "exclusive transaction process".

The group is required to notify the public as it progresses the plan, though some home owners want more consultation.

AATG executive chair Elizabeth Hackett said the project would still receive a high level of scrutiny.

Elizabeth Hackett says the project's environmental and native titles approvals are at an "advanced stage". (Supplied: Whitsunday Chamber of Commerce and Industry)

"There are some really fairly firm restrictions about [communications] while you're under one of those processes," Ms Hackett said.

She said it had been an expensive and thorough development period, spanning nine years.

"We are working with native title and environmental approvals, and we are very advanced in all those stages," she said.

Ms Hackett said private investment had been secured, while $5 million had come from the state government.

The Whitsund