Redland Bay high-rise halted amid outcry over Labor planning bypass

A state-approved high-rise overlooking Moreton Bay has been axed after fierce opposition from the Crisafulli government, triggering a heated political fight over housing planning powers.

Redlands MP Rebecca Young, left, and former Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon.

A controversial eight-storey waterfront bayside development has been officially scrapped following intervention by the Crisafulli Government, sparking a war of words between the state government and Opposition over how best to tackle Queensland’s housing crisis.

The proposed residential project at 144 Broadwater Tce at Redland Bay was approved under the former Labor government’s State Facilitated Development, known as an SFD framework, in mid-2024.

It bypassed Redland City Council’s planning scheme and community consultation processes, a move which drew sharp criticism from local residents and the LNP.

The development site at 144 Broadwater Tce, Redland Bay. Picture: Richard Walker

Redlands MP Rebecca Young on Wednesday confirmed the project’s revocation, describing the outcome as “a tremendous win” for residents and the council.

Ms Young said following her February community forum it became clear residents were not consulted adequately, a flaw she attributed to Labor’s SFD process.

“This project clearly failed to meet local planning requirements and threatened Redland Bay’s unique character and liveability,” Ms Young said.

“At eight storeys, it would have loomed over neighbouring homes, most of which are limited to four or five storeys.

“Residents were rightly alarmed by the lack of parking, traffic congestion impacts, and the precedent such a project would set.”

The Crisafulli government asked the developer in April to justify why the “oversized” project should proceed and a month later rejected the response, before officially revoking the project on Wednesday, May 14.

The SFD mechanism was introduced by the previous Labor government in July 2024 to fast-track housing projects in response to the state’s growing housing shortage.

However, it excluded local government planning input and eliminated community consultation, elements the current government has now reversed.

Redland Bay resident Amanda Paisnel was opposed to an eight-storey unit tower proposed for the neighbouring block of land. Pictures: Richard Walker

But the revocation has drawn a strong rebuke from Labor’s Shadow Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon, who defended the SFD approach as a necessary response to an escalating crisis.

Ms Scanlon said the SFD pathway was intended to fast-track affordable housing during a time of critical need, not to bypass planning for its own sake.

“If Rebecca Young wants to put affordable homes on the scrap heap, then she can explain that to families and frontline workers sleeping on the streets,” Ms Scanlon said in a sharply worded statement on Wednesday.

“When the Redlands has one of the lowest number of homes available for sale or rent in the south east, the LNP are playing NIMBY.

“The SFD process was designed to get shovels in the ground for housing when and where it’s needed. What we don’t need are more obstructions to construction.”

The abandoned development had been widely criticised for disregarding the Redland City Council’s planning scheme, which sets height limits for the area at well under eight storeys.

Community backlash focused on the building’s scale and impact on local infrastructure, particularly parking and road congestion during peak hours.