Mitchelton farmer’s dying wish dashed after Church subdivision plans

A well-known Brisbane identity’s dying wish for his former poultry farm to be turned into a bush reserve has been dealt a blow after plans were lodged by the Uniting Church to subdivide it into a 91-lot housing estate.

A huge 28ha former poultry farm once owned by well-known Brisbane identity Greg Hungerford will be turned into a 91-lot housing estate if the Uniting Church has its way.

Before he died, Mr Hungerford talked about his hopes the vacant Mitchelton site, one of the few bush blocks left on the northside, might be preserved in its natural state.

Neighbours were left shocked when the Church lodged an application late last month for the estate, which they claimed would cause traffic and noise problems and harm wildlife.

“More housing being pushed into that area, with no adequate roads or exit roads to access the area, is just bad management and developer money gouging,” resident Deb Bowen-Saunders said.

“It will put pressure on smaller suburban streets and traffic exiting past two schools.”

The proposed development site.

With only one major exit point, other residents have raised concerns about evacuation during a bushfire after buildings on the site came close to being burned in a previous fire.

But the Church defended its plans, saying funds raised would help its charitable works.

“The initial intent of Mr Hungerford’s will was to sell the property to Brisbane City Council but negotiations with the Brisbane City Council were unsuccessful,’’ a spokeswoman said.

“Five years after Mr Hungerford’s passing, the trustees of the estate sold the property to Uniting Church of Australia Property Trust in 2020.”

“After the Church acquired the Kooya Rd property (we) explored whether it could be developed to provide social services, such as aged care.

“But given the site’s constraints, the proposed land use is for residential development.”

Nearby housing. The Uniting Church says its proposal involves a similar level of housing density.

The spokeswoman said the type of residential development proposed was consistent with other estates in the area and reflected the density on Kooya Rd and Ironbark Pl.

If Council approved its plans, a public park would be created, “opening this site up to the local community for the first time in generations”.

But Ms Bowen-Saunders said Mr Hungerford had always been adamant he never wanted his land sold for housing.

“He turned down a steady stream of offers for many years from those who would have turned it into apartments,” she said.

“He wanted it kept and partly reforested for public use.

“He mentioned this many, many times in conversations I had with him.

“He was always considerate of the environment, he had a (vegetation protection) order put on the large gums at the front (of the property) to protect them from exactly this sort of development.”

Aerial view of the partially-cleared property, which is surrounded by bush.

The property had been held by the Hungerford family since the 1920s and was originally run as a poultry farm.

Mr Hungerford was the last of his family to live on the site, until his death in 2015.

Merle Heiner, a historian and contributor to Mitchy Memories, a blog dedicated to Mitchelton history, described Mr Hungerford as a “gentle and caring person who loved to garden”.

Mr Hungerford was interviewed for Mitchy Memories in 2007, when he told them: “My farm is like paradise in the city.

“I’m very proud of what I’ve done in relation to mowing grass and keeping the property looking absolutely beautiful, like a park … and not for sale”.

Another local, Tracey Winders, said there could be about 180 extra cars generated by the proposal but Kooya Rd already experienced significant traffic delays.

The property was worked as a poultry farm for many years.