Redland Bay ferry terminal stirs people power push
Plans for terraced houses at a bayside ferry terminal have triggered a public campaign to ditch state laws barring people from objecting.
Redlands Coast
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Bay Island residents in the Redlands have joined a growing movement of people power to stop the State Government riding roughshod over the wishes of locals.
The latest battlefront is over the redevelopment of the Weinam Creek ferry terminal at Redland Bay.
Under current laws, residents don’t get a say if a development is deemed in a state priority area.
The laws ban appeals against developments and have already been used to stop dissent against housing projects at Greater Flagstone, and Yarrabilba in Logan and Cleveland’s Toondah Harbour.
The Weinam Creek ferry terminal is home to the Redland Bay Coast Guard, a bus hub, the water police, a public boat ramp, houses, a lockup carpark and public carparks used by bay island residents.
Car parks will be lost under plans to allow 20 housing blocks and a satellite hospital.
The proposed hospital was used as an election sweetener by Labor in last October’s state election and Redland City Council’s investment arm, Redland Investment Corp, has lodged plans for the housing subdivision.
The islanders claim the moves counter the original Weinam Creek PDA Development Scheme and Redland City plan for the area.
They have lodged a petition with State parliament seeking to end laws banning legal appeals against property developments in state priority areas, known as PDAs.
The petition also seeks to stop property developers managing PDAs.
Almost 500 people had signed the petition within two days.
Russell Island Development Association president and chief petitioner Ian Olsson said he was delighted with the traction.
“It shows that cutting people out of the development equation is not popular,” he said.
“If there were appeal rights in these priority development areas, islanders could appeal the Weinam Creek development and ask for that land to be set side for vitally needed carparking at the ferry terminal, which is what it was supposed to be for.
“It was never supposed to be set aside for Redland City Council’s investment arm to subdivide into housing lots for commercial gain from property development.”
Mr Olsson said if Redland Investment Corporation’s plan was approved, the state would be forced to build a multi-deck carpark, the size of Lang Park, on prime real estate on the foreshore at Redland Bay.
“That would be a real travesty as public land on the foreshore would be wasted as a carpark and would be a real eyesore,” he said.
“Even under that plan, there will not be enough parking spaces with estimates of the need for 4000 car spaces as the islands become fully developed.”
Redland City Council said its investment company’s plan was all about providing homes, jobs and infrastructure for local families.
“The development of the new terrace-style homes will help fund some great new infrastructure for the area including new footpaths and 21,000 sqm of new parks,” the council said.
“Stage 1 of the project has already brought more than 500 new car parks at the Moores Rd carpark to help alleviate parking pressure during the various construction sequencing.”
The council said the Meissner St carpark currently only has parking for 114 cars and a proposed multistorey carpark was initially planned for 2200 cars, but that could be increased to 3340.
Redlands Investment Corporation said there would never be a multistorey carpark built in the precinct at nearby Moores Rd, where there will only ever be 501 carpark spaces.
However, a new boat ramp will be built in front of the Moores Rd carpark reducing the total car spaces by 200 for trailer boat parking.
The council said the final proposed carparking figures would be determined after further assessment closer to construction.
Economic Development Queensland is assessing the application and will determine if public notification is needed.