Readers take no prisoners over crammed housing at former Redland Bay banana plantation
Mayors from two southeast Queensland councils will hold an urgent meeting this week to address poor planning outcomes following backlash on a new development which revealed houses almost touching at Redland Bay.
Redlands Coast
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A new development built at Redland Bay has drawn unprecedented criticism from far and wide for its crammed housing.
Built on a former banana plantation on Broadwater Terrace the lots have been developed by a various companies and draw the eye for their lack of footpath and kerb.
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Resdients were shocked at pictures of two homes built so close together rooflines all but touched on Broadwater Terrace in Redland Bay last week with more than 200 people taking to social media to complain to council.
Redland City mayor Karen Williams said today that the Redlands was not alone when it comes to poor planning outcomes from the Queensland Development Code.
“There is a similar example in Logan which shows instances of the State code permitting houses being built too close together,” Ms Willians said.
“It is an issue increasingly faced by Councils everywhere. I spoke with Logan Mayor Darren Power last week and he and I are going to raise it with our fellow South East Queensland Mayors and the State Government this week to see what can be done about it.”
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Two houses built so close together their roofs touched
Hundreds of comments online carried near universal discontent at the Redland Bay development.
Geof Foweler said: “The survey pegs were probably put in a hundred years ago and the builder just took advantage of what was done then.”
Eve Kerlin said: Surely they should be able to review old subdivisions like that when there is a redevelopment. I know people need to live somewhere they can afford but I can’t see how this is in any way, shape or form going to be pleasant to live in. I’d be nervous standing on the front lawn never mind having to mow it so close to a busy road.”
Nicole Coughran said: How did they even brick it? From the inside? Be better off buying a house made of sticks.”
“The State government needs to amend the rules around housing and dwellings, to stop this from happening,” Stephanie Todd said
Sienna Kinnear agree joking that you could actually pass toilet paper to each other through the window if you run out. “This is nuts,” she said.
Liz Gozling said: “I always thought there was meant to be at least 1.5m between houses. When we extended our garage 10 years ago we had to make sure the corner was 1.5m from our neighbour’s fence line.”
And Monica Campbell said: “I can’t believe we don’t have any fire laws regarding building proximity. If one goes up they all will.”
At the time Redland City Council said it had little control over development of what was a historical site, believed to have been owned by one family, and subdivided in the late 1800s into some 32 lots.
“As Council has stated previously, the recently built homes on the former banana plantation at Redland Bay do not form part of a new development subdivision,” a council spokesman said.
“The original Broadwater Terrace plantation was set across more than 30 existing residential blocks, believed to have been created as part of the original village survey more than 100 years ago.
“This development is a perfect example of why council has been advocating for the State Government to review its Queensland Development Code (QDC) for a number of years.
“The QDC is more than 10 years old and council believes it should be reviewed by the State Government, a request council made to the State Government in a formal submission to the draft Queensland Housing Code in 2017.
“The houses on this land at Redland Bay were assessed under the requirements of the Queensland Government’s QDC Mandatory Part MP1.2, which permits building close to boundaries without council approval under Acceptable Outcome A2.”