Logan to close loophole to stop greedy ‘sardine city’ developers

Plans to close a loophole that allows developers to carve land into tiny lots has come too late for a southeast Queensland family who say their windows can’t be fully opened as they hit the fenceline.

Plans to close a loophole which allows greedy developers to carve up land into small lots has come too late for two Logan families.

Logan City Council hopes to tighten planning laws by abolishing “average lot size” requirements, which some developers have been abusing.

House roofs touching, windows that can’t fully open without hitting the back fence, and blocks of land so small there is no room for trees, prompted the review.

But the planning overhaul will not save the Maciejewski and Austin families from years of grief.

Houses in Logan where the back fence is very close to the house.

The Maciejewski family was forced to sell their Bahrs Scrub property and move after a range of problems related to small blocks, narrow streets and construction issues which culminated in nearly a week without electricity in the Woodlands estate following a storm.

Carmel Maciejewski said her family had endured years of noise from neighbours who were so close on three sides, that the windows could not be fully opened as they hit the fenceline.

“I am so against these housing developments and Logan council needs to take more care and concern in what size properties are allowed to be developed and also the size of the house you are allowed to build,” she said.

“Developers are using smaller housing blocks to build bigger houses.

“We are allowing a massive mental wellness problem and the council looks at it as being able to get more houses in these areas and therefore more rates.”

The council launched the review after the outpouring of complaints about units being squashed on to tiny blocks and inappropriate businesses being located near houses and schools.

Houses in Holmview where the roofs were touching.

Homeowner Nina Austin led the charge to fix the laws in 2019 when she complained the gutters from a house built next to hers in Holmview were touching her own.

She moved into her new home and to her dismay found within six months a private certifier had approved another building less that 30cm from her wall.

“The gutters were pushing ours. When I put in a complaint, it was finally inched back by millimetres,” she said.

Under current rules in Logan, subdividing developers can boost profits by creating additional smaller blocks if they balance out the average lot size of a project with a few larger blocks.

The proposed amendments to the city’s planning rules aim to stop that practice by increasing the minimum lot size across a range of building zones.

Logan deputy mayor Jon Raven said the changes, if approved by the state government, would mean lots in a typical low-density residential area could not be smaller than 450sqm.

“We can’t stop a builder from doing the wrong thing and just flat out ignoring the rules,” he said.

“And if there is a dodgy certifier who claims a house has been through the criteria — that has nothing to do with council and comes down to the new owner and the person who built the property.”

Houses in Logan where there is no room between houses and fences.

Under the changes, a variety of block sizes will be required in developments of 10 or more lots and no more than three adjoining lots would have the same frontage.

Other proposed changes to the Planning Scheme include tighter restrictions on healthcare services and childcare centres in residential areas.

Beenleigh CBD businesses joined forces last year to call for a drug and alcohol clinic to be moved away from shops and schools.

Outrage spiked in 2019 when a crematorium was built metres from an aged care home at Bethania.

A drug and alcohol clinic in Beenleigh at 82 City Road. AAP: /Renae Droop

Beenleigh jeweller Natalia Tormasi said clinics for drug addicts should not be in busy shopping centres and the council needed to change the planning zoning.

“We are not against drug clinics but we are against drug addicts wandering around our shops and scaring our customers,” she said.

“Drug clinics need special zonings to protect the public and the patients.”

Logan Ratepayer’s Association president Rod Shaw questioned the review and said a photograph used to promote the changes depicted a “sardine city” with houses crammed on top of each other with no gardens.

“If this is what the council has in mind, we are in trouble,” he said.

“The medical profession has repeatedly warned that the loss of our back gardens is having an adverse effect on the mental and physical health and wellbeing of the people, especially children.

“The section of the housing estate depicted in this photo shows blocks that have no room for a tree and if we don’t strive to make our communities healthy we will create sardine cities with massive health problems and an irreparable environment.”