Park Ridge developers go to war over dead-end road

A war has broken out between two developers who are fighting over a road that one had previously paid $500,000 to build.

Council work has started on Jedfire Rd, top; which will run to the east of the current Park Ridge Shopping Centre; main photo; and Logan councillor Jacob Heremaia.

A battle has broken out between two developers who are fighting over a road that one had previously paid $500,000 to build.

Park Ridge Shopping Centre owners RG Property and David Wheldon from Karremere Pty Ltd, are in dispute over a road that will service both of their new commercial developments.

Jedfire St, a cul-de-sac which runs to the north of the Park Ridge Shopping Centre, has become a major sticking point in the two projects, both under current Logan City Council assessment.

Jedfire St, which runs to the north of the existing Park Ridge Shopping Centre, which has submitted plans to Logan Council to extend. Another developer, which owns the Park Ridge Tavern, has plans to build on land next to the tavern.

Park Ridge Shopping centre wants Jedfire St to be extended east to encompass its proposed centre extension and they paid $500,000 to build the first section of the road.

However, Karremere wants to change that design so all traffic passes its property and has submitted plans to only extend Jedfire St by 150m, preventing it from becoming a major thoroughfare.

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Its 2019 submission, which includes renaming the street to Doug Whyte Dr, has prompted Park Ridge Shopping Centre owners to call for a mediation meeting with the council.

Plans submitted to Logan council last year are for a new commercial hub north of the existing Park Ridge Town Centre but will not include extending a road.

A town planning report, conducted for Wheldon in 2019 after a site investigation, claimed the existing shopping centre development did not meet what the council had approved.

The two developments do not require community consultation as they are code assessable.

Originally, the council wanted the Park Ridge Shopping Centre to build a north-south road, which the council is now constructing.

In December, Logan City Council discussed building a road in the area at Park Ridge in a meeting behind closed doors.

Logan councillor Jacob Heremaia closed his offices at the Park Ridge Shopping Centre.

After that meeting, the local councillor, Jacob Heremaia, denied having a conflict of interest in Jedfire St, which he listed as an address on his election material and later removed.

Park Ridge Shopping Centre town planner Peter Catchlove said the council was operating with smoke and mirrors.

“The Park Ridge local area plan shows the network road planning that the council has paid a lot of money for and all we want to do is develop in accordance with that plan and our current approvals,” Mr Catchlove said.

“The council told us they were going to try to change the road network but have not been able to procedure any plans for us.

“Then all of a sudden we found out that there must be some plan and that something has gone to council but we haven’t seen it – it could really hamper our extension works.”