Residents face off with council over ‘hidden’ development objection

THERE are calls for an independent review after a 406-townhouse development which residents fear will put their homes at risk of flooding was approved.

Angry Springfield resident Jo-Ann Sparrow wants to stop the development behind her property. PHOTO: Paul Guy

SPRINGFIELD residents say they have been silenced by Ipswich City Council in their bid to ensure an approved housing development does not put their homes at risk of flooding.

The Council last week approved a 406-townhouse Stockland development that would back onto Billabong Place and fill in the natural watercourse, O’Dwyers Gully.

A group of affected residents lobbied against the development when it was first proposed in 2015 by land owner Cherish ­Enterprise.

They claimed the destruction of the gully and removal of a water basin would put their homes at risk of flooding.

A development is planned over this gully at Springfield, which has running water when it rains heavily.

A submission to council that outlined these concerns was never made public, and they want to know why.

State Greens candidate for Jordan Steve Purcell said he believed it was a clear effort from the council to “prevent and hide community objection”.

“To me that was very poor performance and in contrast to our new Mayor’s focus on transparency and accountability,” Mr Purcell said.

He called for an independent review of the development application.

An Ipswich City Council spokesman said the resident’s objections were not published because they were submitted outside the allocated time for public comment.

“It should be noted that the 25 February 2016 submission was received at the same time the decision notice was issued, and therefore could not be considered,” he said.

He said the developer “suitably demonstrated” with flood modelling that there would be no worsening of floods levels and flows in the area.

The Crime and Corruption Commission Queensland also assessed residents’ complaints but said there was “no suspicion of corrupt conduct”.

Stockland was unable to comment due to ongoing commercial negotiations.

Resident Jo-Ann Sparrow said it “wasn’t good enough” and she was fed up with being “screwed over time and time again”.

She bought her quarter-acre block when the Gully was with council, but it had since been handed over to the developer.

“We know where we live, we live in a development area and we welcome the development,” Ms Sparrow said.

“What we don’t welcome is having the green space taken back and handed over to developers without community consultation.

“Don’t take a traditional size block that people have paid a lot of money for and put a sardine city up against it.”