Island residents call for bridge to Russell after ‘flawed’ carpark plans
Moreton Bay island residents have stepped up calls for a bridge from the mainland after plans to redevelop a southside ferry terminal were slammed as flawed and a rip-off.
Redlands Coast
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A group of angry Moreton Bay island residents is challenging the state government and local council to build a bridge to Russell Island instead of spending up to $100 million on a multistorey carpark at Redland Bay.
Russell Island Development Association president Ian Olsson said the Masterplan to redevelop Redland Bay’s Weinam Creek ferry terminal was flawed and could result in fewer long-term parking spots for island residents at the busy ferry terminal.
The plans include two residential tower blocks on the foreshore at the Redland Bay ferry terminal, along with provisions for a multi-level shopping centre and the carpark.
The designs also include provisions for a child care centre, restaurants, offices and a new public boat ramp along with mooted plans for a “satellite” hospital.
Mr Olsson said his calculations showed the masterplan, lodged with the state government on January 20, was likely to result in 2033 car spaces at Weinam Creek, compared with the current 2093 carparks.
“But it’s worse than that, island residents will be parking up to 600m further away on the other side of Weinam Creek and some of the plans are using land that floods,” he said.
“Plans for all stages show 67 car spaces that definitely flood and that were excised from the previous application.
“There is no need for this overdevelopment of prime foreshore land at Redland Bay for a high-rise carpark that will never provide enough carparking for all islanders.
“It would be better to spend an extra $20 million and build a bridge which would eliminate the islanders’ parking problem once and for all.”
Mr Olsson estimated that at the most, there would be an extra 250 car spaces but that number would drop when the front gardens of nearby houses, currently rented for parking, were snapped up by residential unit developers.
The residents lodged their complaints in a parliamentary petition which garnered 466 signatures in a month from December.
Redland City Council said the carpark was still in the design phase and would not be built until after public consultation in March and April and was unlikely to be completed before 2023.
While the state government’s Economic Development Queensland assesses the plans, the council will hold 18 public information sessions and residents will be able to lodge submissions in March and April.
The council did not address claims part of the new Moore’s Rd carpark was flood prone but said it was 490m, or less than a 10-minute walk, across a council-built footbridge from the new Moore’s Rd carpark to the ferry terminal.
The council also said there were 1665 spaces across the entire Weinam Creek precinct, including 501 new ones at Moore’s Rd.
OTHER STORIES ON THE BAY ISLANDS
CALL FOR ISLANDS TO BE SEWERED
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