Upper Kedron residents, minister furious over Ellendale bridge delay

Residents in a fast-growing northside estate are being forced to drive 5km to see relatives living only a few hundred metres away because of a two-year delay in Brisbane City Council applying for a road reserve permit. But Council has blamed a developer.

A Queensland Minister and residents in his northside electorate have blamed Brisbane City Council for a two-year delay in applying for approval to open a new bridge in a fast-growing housing estate.

But council insisted developer Cedar Woods Properties (CWP) was responsible for the delayed opening of an internal bridge at its Ellendale estate in Upper Kedron, claiming it had been reminding CWP for “years’’ to submit plans and certifications.

Agriculture Minister Mark Furner, also the Member for Ferny Grove in Brisbane’s northwest, said his constituents were right to be angry at the long delay.

Cedar Woods Properties (CWP) said it hoped to open the internal bridge at its Ellendale estate in Upper Kedron in about six weeks after the Department of Resources (DoR) agreed to fasttrack Council’s application.

But he took to social media to blast Council for not bothering to apply until April, more than 18 months after the bridge was finished.

CWP built and paid for the bridge on Brockman Drive as a secondary access to the estate from Rosella St, finishing work in 2023.

The development application for the bridge, plus works on Levitt Rd and Minnie St, was approved even earlier, on June 3 in 2022.

CWP promptly lodged an application with Council to create a road reserve once the build was completed.

But it was advised State Government consent was required as the land was state-owned and Council was merely the trustee.

Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner. Picture David Clark

However it was not until April 26 this year Council made a road reserve application to the DoR.

The bridge was currently still closed, even though it was usable.

Approval was received from DoR earlier this month and CWP said on Friday, June 14, that it expected the bridge to open in the next six to eight weeks pending final DoR approval.

“Many residents of Upper Kedron have asked me why the recently constructed bridge connecting Ellendale to Rosella St has not been opened despite appearing to have been completed some time ago,” Mr Furner posted on his social media.

“Today, I have been advised by Ellendale they have received an offer letter from the Department to proceed with the road opening application.

“While I am happy the Department has fasttracked its approval process and the bridge should be able to be opened in the next few months, this delay should really have been avoided if the BCC had sought approval for the bridge before requiring Ellendale to begin construction.”

But a Council spokeswoman said the delay was because CWP had to submit engineering certifications, as-constructed plans and request/attend a maintenance inspection before the bridge could open.

“Council has been encouraging and insisting the developer complete the bridge for several years,” the spokesperson said.

“Council was not in receipt of all of the information from the developer and satisfied the bridge was constructed and maintained in accordance with the approval until very recently.

The bridge should finally open in six to eight weeks. it has been closed, despite being usable, for more than 18 months. Picture: Facebook/Mark Furner MP

Ferny Grove & Upper Kedron Residents Association spokesman Max Crane said it was Council’s “farcical’’ delay inaction that had caused the delay.

“Council sat on this for two years,” Mr Crane said.

“BCC is teflon, nothing sticks to it.

“They can’t open the roads until it’s approved by the Department of Resources.

“When Ellendale prepared this, my understanding is they put the changes to the roads in with the bridge in one package and they can’t unravel it.

“When the bridge is delayed, the roads are delayed.

“If BCC had got off its bottom it would have been much more efficient and time saving.

“We have a lady whose son-in-law lives on the other side of the bridge and she has to take a 5km detour each time to see him.”

Cedar Woods also confirmed Levitt Rd and Minnie St were opened on June 13, following upgrades associated with the bridge works.

The Council spokeswoman said CWP needed to provide certifications and plans showing the bridge had been build to engineering standards so Council could inspect and approve it.

“Council is waiting for the developer to provide engineering documentation,’’ she said.

“Then, the developer must make a submission to the State Government to formally register the property title as a road.

“We understand residents are eager to use this new bridge.

“Council will continue to work with Ellendale and the State Government to open the bridge for public use as soon as possible.”

There have been 593 homesites registered within the Ellendale community to date. Picture: File

A CWP spokesperson said the Brockman Rd bridge provided only secondary access to the estate, not critical access.

“The safety of the public and Ellendale residents is our highest priority,’’ they said.

“CWP, in consultation with Council, has installed bollards at the entrances to the bridge to inhibit traffic or pedestrians entering the bridge while the application process is completed.

“For the bridge to be suitably registered as road reserve various third-party agreements from government and utility agencies are required.’’

They said documents would be sent to the state, with help from Council, so it could review them.

“Plan sealing and registration of the new roads and bridge will take place simultaneously and the bridge will be opened upon finalisation of this administrative process,’’ they said.

A DoR spokesperson confirmed it received an application from Council to dedicate part of the reserve as a road on April 26 this year.

“This application is under assessment and being treated as a priority,” they said.

There have been 593 home sites registered within the Ellendale community to date.

CWP was planning to release more than 900 sites once the estate was finished.