Council knocks back latest stage of major Brisbane housing estate

Brisbane City Council has rejected the fifth stage of a master planned housing estate 12km northwest of the CBD.

The Brisbane City Council has refused Huntsman Property’s subdivision application for stage five of its controversial Ellendale housing estate, 12km northwest of the CBD.

City Planning Chair, Krista Adams, confirmed the application was refused on Friday.

“The grounds for refusal will be made publicly available on or before April 6, in accordance with the Planning Act 2016,’’ Cr Adams said in a statement.

The 91ha Cedar Groves-developed estate, which backs on to South D’Aguilar National Park in Upper Kedron, has long angered locals.

It made headlines in August last year when former Planning Minister Jackie Trad announced that she had used her powers to give preliminary approval for 480 lots.

The project was unpopular with residents because it backed onto bush that was zoned rural residential.

Ms Trad blamed Council for the debacle, while Council blamed the state government.

Homes built in the earlier stages of the Ellendale housing estate. Picture: Supplied

Local opposition to the development was a key platform for former Education Minister Kate Jones in her successful campaign against then Premier Campbell Newman, who at the time was the LNP MP for Ashgrove (now called Cooper).

Stage five also attracted plenty of opposition from locals, who raised concerns about environmental impacts, further pressure on Settlement, Samford and Waterworks roads, and bushfire risk.

Huntsman Property had proposed to reconfigure one of the land parcels to create 149 residential lots, two corridor and five open space and drainage lots, as well as new roads.

“The development is a positive outcome for the local area and delivers standard residential lots in an accessible location,’’ it said in development application documents lodged with the Council.

“The future development of the resulting neighbourhood will be similar to the surrounding

locality and is consistent with the community expectations for the area and overall Ellendale development area.’’

Stage five is part of the much larger Ellendale site and located south of Stage one.

Lots for stage five would have connected to the rest of the site via the extension of Halifax St to the south.

It is surrounded by remnant vegetation, but the developer said the area had been previously cleared for grazing, with vegetation left only in the steep gullies.

“The raised areas between these gullies support regrowth of endemic vegetation,’’ it said.

“Revegetation works within the corridors associated with this stage will enhance natural regeneration, with weed removal and slope stabilisation being undertaken where required.

“These works will improve the overall corridor habitat for the local fauna.

“Installation of nest boxes will also undertaken as part of the corridor works.’’

But residents accused Huntsman of a “budget option at the expense of flora and fauna, local residents and the general appeal of living in the Brisbane City Council area’’.

“The natural flow of the land and topography of the area has not been taken into consideration, especially in regard to the area directly behind the current Palisades estate,’’ an unnamed resident said in a submission to Council.

“This would have adverse effects on wildlife, biodiversity as well as natural waterway systems. Also, the impact of tree clearing on koala habitat and corridors is unclear and should be properly identified and any impact mitigated.

“There should be no net loss and no short term impact that would jeopardise the viability

of existing koala populations.’’

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Other residents also complained about the visual impact of large retaining walls on the steep site, and said the size of proposed blocks were smaller than in the adjacent Palisades estate.

“It is not good enough for the developer to simply give lip service to objections and proceed regardless,’’ they said.

“The number of wild animals has been decreasing since the development of Ellendale began a couple of years ago.

“In the proposal, the developer even mentions that koalas are scarce.

“If the proposal goes ahead, they will definitely not find koalas in that area any more.

“The so-called nature corridors mentioned by the developer are not really useful for wildlife

as they are too small/narrow. They rather provide the appearance of nature/wildlife and act as a screen to neighbouring properties.’’