Ratepayers to fund $5.2 million land purchase to ‘stop unpopular development’

Ratepayers have funded a developer’s $1.8 million profit on three blocks of land, and the opposition says it was all to stop an unpopular development and “bail out” the local councillor.

Mt Gravatt East residents successfully rallied to stop a proposed townhouse development. Picture: Kristy Muir

RATEPAYERS have funded a developer’s $1.8 million profit on three blocks of land and the opposition says it was all to stop unpopular development and “bail out” the local councillor.

Brisbane City Council voted this week to fork out $5.2 million on 64 and 68 Carrara St and 8 Nurran St at Mt Gravatt East after the developer spent only $3.4 million on them last May.

The council is funding the purchase through the Bushland Acquisition Levy and will revegetate 68 Carrara St and 8 Nurran St and on-sell 64 Carrara St.

Money made from the on-sale would go back to the levy — the developer would only sell the land if the council bought all three properties.

The three blocks of land were subject to a deeply controversial development application for townhouses on the low-density residential land, where koalas had been spotted by residents.

In an act that infuriated residents, the land was cleared of all trees last year.

Mt Gravatt East residents celebrated after the council announced it would buy the land at Carrara St and Nurran St for bushland.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming said the land was zoned low-density residential, had no trees, was not next to high quality bushland and koalas would have to cross roads to get there.

“It means this Administration are now prepared to use to Bushland Acquition Levy to try to stop unpopular development occurring,” he said.

Cr Krista Adams (Holland Park) said the opposition was peddling “hyperbole and just blatant lies” about the situation and residents wanted the land protected for koalas.

Cr Cumming and the other Labor councillors voted in favour of the purchase to stop the townhouse development but questioned the precedent it set.

“Every proposed development anywhere where there’s been a koala seen in the area at any time it doesn’t if there’s no trees, it doesn’t matter if the nearest bushland’s a long way away, it doesn’t matter if it’s not value for money, there’s a chance Brisbane City Council will move in and purchase it,” he said.

Cr Cumming said the developer made a “tidy profit” of $1.795 million in the 10 months since he bought the land — a 52.75 per cent return.

“That’s a very generous profit for a developer to bail out Cr (Krista) Adams,” he said.

Residents were deeply concerned about the welfare of koalas on the site when the land was cleared. Picture: Kristy Muir

He said last year the council bought a 90,000sq m property in Burbank for $3.25 million, a 16,000sq m property for $2.47 million, and a 56,000sq m property for $610,549.

“That’s nine times the area of land for one ninth of the cost,” Cr Cumming said.

Cr Cumming said instead of “wasting” ratepayers’ money, the council should have supported Labor’s proposal last year to put an emergency ban on townhouses in low density zones.

“But it took until February for (City Planning chairman Matthew) Bourke and the Quirk LNP Administration to belatedly act,” he said.

“By then the development application was lodged over the land running from Nurran to Carrara streets and it was too late for the TLPI (emergency protection) to stop the proposed townhouse project.”

An artist’s impression from the development application for townhouses on Carrara St and Nurran St in Mt Gravatt East.

Cr Krista Adams (Holland Park) rubbished the opposition’s claims that a TLPI in November would have saved the site.

Cr Adams said the council put a City Plan amendment to the State Government to ban townhouses on low-density residential land on September 4 but it had been delayed.

“We would have been out at consultation before Christmas, this development application didn’t come in till the December 8,” she said.

“It well and truly would have been sorted but we’ve had nothing but absolute disregard for the minister when it comes to protecting our low density areas from townhouses.”

The State Government has maintained there is no delay and it is simply going through a proper, considered process.

Carrara and Nurran streets at Mt Gravatt East. Picture: Kristy Muir

Cr Adams dared Cr Cumming to tell her constituents and tell them the purchase was a waste of money on land that was not a koala corridor.

“Because I assure you, when I have been at every public meeting that they have had and spoken to those residents continually on the phone, that is not how they feel,” she said.

Cr Adams said the blocks were more expensive than land at Pullenvale or Gumdale, due to the fact it was in a prized catchment area for a local school.

“There were plenty of koalas that were sighted on that land,” she said.

“This is a known corridor for koala movement and it’s been even more seen once those trees went 12 months ago.”

She said the council would work with residents, wildlife carers and the RSPCA to plant koala fodder trees that will grow within four to five years.