Application lodged for 1700-lot estate at Morayfield’s Pine Valley, next to massive Lendlease proposal
Residents are venting their anger over plans for 1700-lot high density estate in a rural area north of Brisbane that has been lodged by a developer facing criminal corruption charges.
Moreton
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A DEVELOPER facing criminal corruption charges has just lodged an application for a massive 104-hectare high density housing estate in a rural area north of Brisbane.
Australian National Homes (ANH), which is owned by Tosh Murphy, has this week applied to change the zoning across five large rural properties in Morayfield.
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If approved, the application would pave the way for almost 83ha of high density housing and 4.8ha for a town centre, as well as some parkland and environmental corridors.
The report suggests 1700 residential lots would be established over 15 years, housing up to 4500 people once completed.
Lot sizes would likely range from around 200 sqm to 700 sqm.
The site is immediately north of the proposed 2500-lot estate by developer Lendlease, and within the Pine Valley investigation area.
Combined, they would create about 4200 new homes in the area.
Pine Valley is situated just a few kilometres south of the giant Caboolture West area that is expected to have up to 27,000 new homes over the next 40 years.
“This application seeks to reinforce Pine Valley as a suitable urban growth front in the short to medium term,” the planning report stated.
At present, the Moreton Bay Council’s planning scheme does not allow high density development in that area, though developers can apply to vary the scheme.
“It is considered that the continued restriction of development in Pine Valley will not benefit the entry residential market, as it would only serve to hinder housing affordability in the region by providing less housing choice,” the report stated.
Much of the proposed site would butt against existing acreage properties on Williamson Rd and Wingara Drv.
It also includes two properties on Oakey Flat Rd, just south of the reserve.
About 560 of the proposed 1700 lots would be on the northern side of Forest Hills Drv.
ANH is owned by Tosh Murphy, who also owns other properties in the development area through two of his companies, Dundale and Remford.
Mr Murphy is currently fighting a charge of official corruption that was brought by the Crime and Corruption Commission last year over dealings with former Moreton Bay councillor Adrian Raedel.
Some nearby residents have already expressed alarm at ANH’s plan to develop in Pine Valley.
C Frakes wrote on Planningalerts.org: “It will be a sad day when we no longer have all the wildlife at our back door and (instead have) high density housing surrounding us”.
“No effort has been made to maintain a rural residential lifestyle. This new council has an opportunity to stop the ‘old’ style of development and start fixing the errors of past councils.”
Barbara Noonan stated: “I am concerned you are robbing people of a way of life. The reason my family moved to this area was because it was rural … How is this fair for the ones that bought property in this area for a way of life. This is a disgrace and discrimination against the ones effected by this move.”
Kylie Chant wrote: “It is going to cause a significant amount of extra traffic congestion with this increased number of residential housing. This … is going to significantly impact the flora and fauna in the area, which is already competing for very limited green space.”
Karyn Swindells was angered by the proposal, stating they would be “swamped with ridiculously small blocks that will overcrowd an unprepared area at the expense of current rate payers lifestyles and our wildlife.”
Proposed zones for the site have a commercial zone along Oakey Flat Rd with potential for a small district centre by 2038.
It estimated the centre’s catchment population would be 8000 people in 10 years.
It also proposed a future upgrade Oakey Flat Rd to four lanes, traffic lights along that same road at a future access point, and upgrades at other access points along Forest Hills Drv.
The site is within the Koala Priority Area, but mostly outside the core habitat area, except for a small portion of land in the southeast of the site.
An environmental assessment of the site found evidence of kangaroos, koalas and possums.
No detailed survey for frogs or reptiles was undertaken for the report.
An environmental corridor would be on flood prone land behind that, though it would be cut in half by a collector road.
A second environmental corridor was proposed along high-risk flood prone land north of Forest Hill Drv, which crossed the existing powerline corridor.
The site was close to existing services such as water, power and sewerage.
A small neighbourhood hub featuring a supermarket and specialty stores was proposed for an area on Forest Hills Drv, alongside space for a child care centre.
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