Councillor recalls pineapple farmer Les working on the land with a horse-drawn plough

Serious concerns have been raised about a controversial planned 108-lot development on the last remaining crop farm in a suburb north of Brisbane, with one resident anticipating a disastrous outcome.

The pineapple farm at 84 Samsonvale Rd Strathpine has been sold to a developer. Picture: Google

WHILE online traffic about the Strathpine pineapple farm development has been overwhelming, it is the actual on-the-ground traffic that has some residents concerned.

Pine Rivers Press broke the story on June 10 that an application to develop the old pineapple farm on Samsonvale Rd had been lodged with Moreton Bay Council.

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About a week after the story ran, the council approved developer Peet’s plans for a 108-lot housing development.

Yet that won’t be the end of it — there are two large lots on the site, totalling about 15,200sq m marked for future development.

When all is said and done, about 200 vehicles are expected to be coming out of that estate and onto Samsonvale Rd.

Development plans for Strathpine pineapple farm, southern side.

As part of the approval conditions, Peet must install a new set of traffic lights at the Samsonvale Road/Beitz Street intersection, which will line with a new road access into the estate.

There are already traffic lights about 300m up the road at Livingston St and another set 230m away at Kensington Way.

Samsonvale Rd will also be widened at the estate to have two eastbound lanes.

Resident Alex Hams said he believed putting traffic lights at that point of Samsonvale Rd would be a disaster.

“Samsonvale Rd is already full at peak times. these lights will bank it up even more and there are already other lights nearby,” he said.

“You’ll have at least 100 extra vehicles from this estate plus more form the new units across the road, all coming out onto Samsonvale Rd.”

RELATED COVERAGE:

● An application to develop the pineapple farm at Strathpine has been submitted

Resident Jeff Mears commented on the development, saying there was growing concern about the impact it would have on traffic.

“The Samsonvale Road (end) looks like having three residential streets with access and two streets feeding to one set of lights already seeing heavy loads due to the railway station,” he wrote.

“And to make the situation worse there are not enough carparking spaces at the station so most of the streets already have parked cars turning the streets into one lane.”

Development plans for Strathpine pineapple farm northern side.

Council spokesman for Planning and Div 8 Cr Mick Gillam, in his newsletter to residents, said he was pleased the council had managed to get parkland in the northern part of the property, across Four Mile Creek, turned into public space.

“It has always been my desire to try to get the northern side into council ownership,” he said.

“The reasons for this are the lack of parkland provided by the original developers back in the 60s and 70s and what I believe will be a crying need for open space and parkland in the future when the area gradually redevelops.

“This was the last decent sized parcel of land left in the Bray Park/Strathpine area.

“I would have preferred the whole northern site but am happy with what we have been able to

achieve.”

Cr Gillam said he was concerned about rumours circulating online about the development.

He said the land was privately owned and when the previous owner died it was sold by the estate.

The property was bought by Percy Blatchford in January 1937 and had been in the Blatchford family for more than 80 years.

Percy and his wife Lily (nee Leitch, another early pioneering family) established the first small crops farm in the area.

The site of new traffic lights near the old pineapple farm at 84 Samsonvale Rd, Strathpine. The farm has been sold to developer Peet for $18.5 million. Picture: Google

Lily died on May 22, 1949 aged 53 years and Percy died on March 17, 1969 aged 74 years.

Their son Leslie took over the running of the farm before his death on May 27, 2017.

“All the land on the southern side had been farmed for years with mainly pineapples and various small crops in the front paddocks,” Cr Gillam said.

“As a teacher at Bray Park State School I can clearly remember old Les working the front paddocks with his horse drawn plough with his walking along behind.

“He did that at least through the 80s and 90s that I can recall. In later years he used an old tractor.”

Cr Gillam said the land on the northern side was cleared a time long ago and about 3/4 of it has regrowth eucalypt forest.

“Koalas were regular visitors as the trees grew,” he said. “Les used this side to fatten calves for market.

“Most of the good koala trees are in the new park area and will remain.”

Peet bought the 15.73ha pineapple farm on January 31 for $18.5 million. It was valued at $12m on January 31 this year.