SEQ’s new ‘Gateway to Straddie’ in doubt as Walker abandons Toondah Harbour

Development giant Walker Corporation has withdrawn its application to build Toondah Harbour on the Cleveland foreshore, ending a decade-long fight to protect international wetlands.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek last week said she planned to reject the project on environmental grounds, but gave the company 10 days to consider its bid.

The Walker Group’s plan, as of June 2018, for Cleveland’s Toondah Harbour, which has been rejected because it is built over 38 hectares of protected wetlands.

Walker was expected to scale back the project, which originally extended into Moreton Bay, but on Thursday announced it would withdraw altogether.

“We have been overwhelmed by calls and messages of support over the past week from the Redlands community as well as local, state and federal political and community leaders, who understand how critical this project is to the region’s future,” the company said in a statement.

“We respect the minister’s opinion that she does not believe the project in its current form provides the protections for the environment and we need the appropriate amount of time to understand and address those concerns, to satisfy the government’s reasonable, high environmental standards.”

Ten years ago, the Queensland government and Redland City Council had an idea to create a new “Gateway to Straddie”.

Queensland Greens senator Larissa Waters wants the Queensland Government to upgrade Toondah Harbour, but protect the wetlands.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

That phrase was literally in the 2014 vision statement when both parties put the idea to redevelop Cleveland’s Toondah Harbour out to test the interest of the private sector.

“As the principal point of departure and arrival for ferry services between the mainland and North Stradbroke Island, Toondah Harbour is ‘the gateway to Straddie’, the Toondah Harbour Priority Development Area Development Scheme said in May 2014.

Walker won the tender in 2014 and planned to build 3600 units and berth 400 boats over 32 hectares of internationally recognised Ramsar wetlands at their planned Toondah Harbour marina complex.

And that is where its idea fell apart.

Conservation groups long believed a lack of respect for marine and land-based ecological significance was the weakness of the various iterations of Walker’s plan.

And, a decade later, Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek agreed.

“I have made my proposed decision, which is to protect Moreton Bay from unacceptable impacts from a proposed development,” Plibersek said.

“These wetlands are rare, unique and important to prevent the extinction of animals like the eastern curlew and loggerhead turtle.”

Queensland Greens senator Larissa Waters said Walker’s decision to withdraw their current application was a victory for conservation campaigners.

“The tireless campaigners from the Quandamooka Community, Redlands 2030, Birdlife, the ACF, the Koala Action Group and all the members of the Toondah Alliance must be congratulated,” Waters said.

But Waters said Toondah Harbour could face a different development application.

“The Queensland state Labor government had already approved Walker Corp’s proposal, leaving Toondah Harbour open to other development applications in the future,” Waters said.

“We want to see the State government step in to fix the ferry terminal and protect the wetlands instead.”

Queensland’s State Development Minister Grace Grace’s spokeswoman said the Toondah Harbour development was approved, “only subject to environmental approvals.”

“The Queensland government is now examining the next steps,” she said.

Redland City Council intends to ask the private sector to have a second look.

“Council also supports private investment as a means of redeveloping the area,” the council said in a statement on Thursday evening.

Redland council for more than a decade advocated for an upgrade to the ferry terminal at Toondah Harbour, which serves as the main transport link to North Stradbroke Island, or Minjerribah, despite strong environmental opposition.

“Council supported the Queensland government’s declaration of Toondah Harbour as a Priority Development Area in 2013 as a means of progressing vital upgrades to the ferry terminal, creating new jobs, and boosting the local economy through tourism, residential and retail opportunities.”

The transformation of Minjerribah away from sand mining towards ecotourism is a long-running, but yet-to-be realised goals for the Queensland government.