Russell Island shopping centre forced to lock toilets and overhaul sewerage system

After more than a decade of a complaints, a court has ordered a shopping centre landlord to fix a leaking sewerage system.

The Russell Island shopping centre, on land in High St, owned by Ian Larkman.

A Russell island businessman has been given nine months to fix a leaking sewerage system at the island’s popular shopping centre.

The Planning and Environment court ordered landlord Ian Larkman to replace the toilet system at the Russell Island High St shops in December after more than a decade of complaints about leaking sewage stinking out the centre.

By August, shoppers caught short at the popular centre can expect to spend a penny at the shops using a new toilet system after the Redland City Council referred the matter to the court in 2019.

The council claimed sewerage was leaking from the toilets and flowing over the footpath.

The centre was forced to lock up its permanent toilets and provide public portaloos, dubbed by locals as Trump Tower after a truck backed into one last year.

The portaloos, dubbed Trump Tower, at the back of the Russell Island shopping centre.

The issue was partially resolved in December, when the two parties agreed the overhaul to the sewerage system was necessary and the court ordered the replacement works to be completed by August.

The council and authorities will assess whether the replacement on-site sewerage treatment facility complies.

In its court submission, Redland council said it had responded to “numerous complaints” about untreated sewage discharged from the property since 2009, a year before the two parties first went to court over sewage leaks and odour complaints.

Ten years later, a council officer went to the centre in April 2019, and reported a “significant” amount of untreated sewage was leaking from a stormwater drain, which was confirmed by lab tests.

Council officers reported that the sewerage system was not properly maintained, not adequate and incapable of repair.

They also reported sewage was draining into council’s stormwater drains.

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Mr Larkman said the new system would cost about $60,000 to install but agreed it was necessary to keep pace with the population growth on the island.

Landowner Ian Larkman outside the IGA on Russell Island.

“There are more people and more shoppers and so more waste generated at the centre, so there is a need for a bigger system,” he said.

“A kebab shop at the centre wants to expand into a restaurant – which would be great for the island.

“The council initially asked me to get the upgrade done in two months – but the court has ruled a nine-month time frame.”

The decade-running dispute between the council and the island businessman continued in Cleveland Magistrates yesterday, where Mr Larkman is defending 18 claims linked to the maintenance and modifications of the sewerage system.

His company Canaipa Developments also faces 18 claims about the centre’s sewerage system, its maintenance and modifications and risk to the environment.

A council plumbing expert told the magistrates court the centre’s existing sewerage system was incorrectly constructed and inadequate.

Mr Larkham, who is denying all 18 claims, is yet to present his argument.

The case before Magistrate Zac Sarra continues next week.