‘First a crematorium, now a rail trail for thousands’: anger as Palm Lakes Resort to become tourist walk

Four years after a council approved a crematorium next door, hundreds of southside retirees are fighting to stop a rail trail from ploughing through the middle of their village. CHECK THE MAPS

A retirement village, which sensationally lost a battle to stop a crematorium being built next door, is now fighting the same council to stop a 2km rail trail being built through its middle.

More than 600 angry elderly residents at Palm Lakes Resort, Bethania, are challenging a council and state government plan to build a walking trail for 50,000 tourists a year through their gated community.

Logan City Council has asked the state government for more than $3.5 million to build the 13.5km Bethania to Yarrabilba Rail Trail even though 2km of track is under lease to Palm Lakes Resort Retirement Village.

The 2km stretch of track runs through the centre of the resort cutting the village in half and creating fears it will become a crime target.

Residents said they also feared that the thousands of cyclists and walkers would create traffic hazards for people in mobility scooters.

Logan Village, where the rail trail will end. Picture: Richard Walker

Palm Lake resident Beryl Woodfield said she felt deceived by Logan council given the way it used maps that did not show the affected site.

She said the council surveyed residents’ using an online multiple choice questionnaire running until October 12, which many elderly could not access and did not agree with any of the answer options.

“The walking trail will divide the resort into two, create parking chaos and open up our gated community to criminals,” she said.

“The council has refused to build a fence around the 3.5m-wide trail which will run right through the village.

“We pay to live in a gated community but once again the council is not listening to what residents want which is what happened when council allowed a crematorium to be built next door.”

Logan City Council failed to respond to requests for information for this story and to residents’ calls for more information about the lease of the rail line.

A 2021 feasibility study by consultant Burchill’s Engineering Solutions found the project would be a money spinner costing about $8 million but attracting more than 55,000 people a year bringing in an economic benefit to the region of over $870,000 a year.

But it also found it would not be able to proceed successfully without getting approval to use the old rail tracks through the retirement village and a key issue would be dividing the report.

Hundreds of elderly are willing to fight the Logan council over plans to build a tourist walking trail through their gated community.

The $200,000 feasibility study, paid for by the state government, also investigated land ownership and tenure, routes and trailhead options, bridges and waterway crossings, environmental concerns, landowner concerns, and construction and maintenance costs.

“None of the issues identified and assessed are considered insurmountable, although, the existing sub lease along part of the route which is in favour of Palm Lakes Resort is a significant constraint for the project which is yet to be resolved,” the report said.

Previous Logan City Councils voted not to back the project and refused to enter a sublease contract with the Transport Department to build and later manage the trail.

However, in 2018, the council successfully lobbied the state government to fund at least half of the rail trail.

Noel Wright, spokesman for Associated Residential Parks Queensland, a body which represents owners of homes in resorts, said Palm Lakes residents’ views were not being considered.

Palm Lakes Resort residents fear crime will escalate when the gates to its village are opened to thousands of tourists each year.

“It is clear that the residents’ views are not being given the same weight as the views of the management, the council or the state government,” Mr Wright said.

“The views of homeowners in this resort, who pay to live in a gated community, should be given the same weighting as the views of the management.

“Management is yet to reveal what it has done with the leases it paid for over the track through the village.”

The disused rail corridor from Bethania to Beaudesert dates back to 1885, when Queensland Government railways operated the line until mid-1996.

Residents have until October 12 to vent their anger over the decision to run the trail through their village.