Holmview, Bahrs Scrub school stirs calls to remove ‘dangerous’ wildlife corridor

Plans for a new state primary school south of Brisbane have reignited calls to a local council to remove a wildlife corridor zone, which residents claim is an animal deathtrap.

The new school will be built in three stages with stage 1 to be completed in 2026. Picture: State Infrastructure Department

Plans for a new state primary school, in a rapidly growing southside suburb, have reignited a decade-long campaign to ditch a wildlife corridor, which residents describe as an “animal deathtrap”.

The state Education Department advertised plans and called for community comment for a prep to year 6 school in the emerging suburb of Holmview last week.

The new school will be built on 5.672ha of vacant land, which adjoins rural and residential land to the west and is bound by busy Wuraga, Tallagandra and Teys roads.

A new primary school will be built on vacant land at Holmview, stirring anger from nearby residents who have been barred from subdividing. Picture: Google

The school plans have the backing of landowners in the area, who cannot sell their properties for subdivision because of a wildlife corridor.

They claim they are caught in a “catch 22” and have waged a decade-long campaign to get Logan City Council to remove an environmental overlay on Wuraga Rd, a busy major trunk road.

Under Logan land zonings, the northern school side of Wuraga Rd was allowed to be sold to developers for small-lot estates.

But land on the southern side of the road was subjected to an environmental zoning and barred from subdivision.

The busy Wuraga Rd at Holmview. Picture: State Infrastructure Department

Recently unveiled plans for the school show the state has acknowledged the dangers of Wuraga Rd locating the entrance and exits on Teys Rd, not busy Wuraga Rd, which residents claim is more a deathtrap for animals than a safe haven.

The road links to Tallagandra Rd and connects to Mount Warren Park, where a motorcyclist died in 2020 and links to Teys Rd, where a motorcyclist died in April 2022.

Residents of Holmview and Bahrs Scrub say a school is perfect for their suburb and have been campaigning to get their acreage lots unlocked for development.

Bahrs Scrub landowner Fran Van Gilst, whose Wuraga Rd acreage property is opposite the new school, said the site was perfect for a school but urged Logan City Council to ditch the “wildlife corridor” zoning.

Ms Van Gilst said the council environmental overlay preventing subdivisions on the southern side of Wuraga Rd was ridiculous considering more than 200 lots had opened up 500m away in nearby Brookhaven estate.

“I think this is a perfect spot for a new school but I do have a bit of an issue with the council still calling the land across the road from the project a ‘wildlife corridor’,” she said.

“I will be the most affected resident during the construction stage as my place is the closest but this is a great idea to have a school and I totally support it at this stage.

“There are already about 200 new homes built, which is enough to make a small school by itself so I believe it is overdue and should have been built at least three years ago.

“They should just get on with it as fast as possible,” she said.

The new school at Holmview will be built in three stages and will include multistorey buildings, carparking and a bus drop-off zone. Picture: State Infrastructure Department

The state government sent letters to residents alerting them to plans to build the school in three stages, in line with ministerial consent, with the last stage to be completed in 2041.

Ms Van Gilst said a number of landowners were upset after being precluded from being able to sell for lucrative small-lot estates.

A report to Infrastructure Minister Steven Miles this month said the area was one of the fastest growth regions in southeast Queensland and the school would ultimately cater for 1300 students and 92 staff with the first stage completed in 2026.

It will include three-storey buildings, an administration block, a resource centre, canteen, multipurpose hall, oval, outdoor courts, a kindergarten, carparking and bus stop.

Once built, the new sporting ovals and some facilities will open for public hire.

Macalister MP Melissa McMahon with Transport Minister Mark Bailey near a busy and dangerous intersection with Tallagandra Rd at Mount Warren Park. Picture: Contributed

Macalister MP Melissa McMahon said residents had called for the council-owned dangerous Wuraga, Teys and Prangley roads intersection to be upgraded before the school opened, during public consultation in July.

Logan City Council, which was asked to comment, came under fire in 2021 for unveiling future plans to realign Wuraga Rd through a known koala habitat to meet up with Mount Warren Park Boulevard.

However, Mrs McMahon said the state infrastructure department had taken control of the project to ensure all services, including roads, water, electricity, and street lighting, were co-ordinated and connected.

“The road that the school is on is a council-owned road and I have had many concerns raised about the Wuraga and Teys road intersection,” Mrs McMahon said.

“The council has cried poor and has no plans to upgrade Wuraga Rd for at least a decade which is another reason for the department stepping in.

“Because there is no primary school in the area, the state also had to buy the land because the council had not stipulated such a project when it approved housing developments.

“Where the council has kept the wildlife corridor is insane because it runs alongside the major road and is not the path wildlife takes – or even if the animals do use that area, it is unsafe.

“Some of the land in the area has steep gradients which may have affected subdivision prospects but the school will bring major benefits to the developing area.”

The school, yet to be named, will be one of three new primary schools set to open in Logan in 2025 and 2026 along with four others across the state.

Those schools will be at Park Ridge, Greater Flagstone, both in Logan, along with schools at Caboolture West, Caloundra South, Ripley Valley and a new high school at Collingwood Park.

■ People can comment on the plans for the school at Holmview until November 8 with construction estimated to start late next year.