Ipswich residents plan protest action, huge petition to save koalas in Woogaroo forest
Koalas will be sacrificed for people if a new Ipswich housing estate approved in vital habitat goes ahead, wildlife lovers say. They are now planning protest action next month to stop it.
Springfield News
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Ipswich wildlife lovers will stage a protest next month in a last-ditch bid to save endangered koalas they say are present at a vital woodland, after a precinct plan for a residential estate was approved by Council in March.
Woogaroo Forest, between Springfield and Brookwater, was home to a wide variety of animals including koalas, brush-tailed phascogales and sugar gliders, the protesters claimed.
About 160ha of the forest has been proposed for one and two-storey detached homes, with a small local commercial centre, childcare centre, open space and local sports park.
It was expected to become home to 5000 residents in an area struggling with housing supply and affordability issues.
The Council signed off on a precinct plan in March despite more than 200 formal objections, one of the first steps in the approvals process.
Bellbird Park’s Keith McCosh and volunteers in the community have now organised a protest in a bid to block the development.
“They haven’t given development approval yet,” he said.
“There’s lots of wildlife out there on this block and we really want to sort of try to stop with this protest.
“People see koalas quite regularly around the place.
“We have the fear that this will take the koalas to extinction here in the eastern suburbs of Ipswich.”
A petition to save the forest has so far attracted more than 15,000 signatures.
Greens Ipswich Lockyer spokeswoman Danielle Mutton said the area should be protected as remnant forest.
“We’ll absolutely be there (at the protest) and it’s important that the forest is not cleared,” she said.
“There’s obviously a massive community campaign happening right now to protect not only the forest, but the native animals that live there which are quite diverse.
“We really need to protect our wildlife corridors.”
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding told media recently that the project was not impact assessable, meaning the matter would not have been referred to councillors for consultation or review.
Code assessable developments also did not require formal public notification and limited the public’s right to planning court appeals. “The delegation sits with council officers … it’s not something that would come to councillors for a decision,” Cr Harding was quoted as saying.
In a response to the Queensland Times, Cr Harding said the land was privately owned that has been been designated for residential development for close to 30 years.
“Therefore, neither the Queensland Government nor the Ipswich City Council can prevent this development from being approved under Queensland’s planning laws,” she said.
“I have met with concerned residents and understand their fears about the impacts on local wildlife and the surrounding environment.
“While there is an urgent need for affordable homes to be delivered as we grapple with an unprecedented housing crisis, this needs to be done in a sustainable way.”
The proposed development is currently been assessing by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under national environment law.
“The assessment process will consider the impacts of the proposed development on listed threatened species and ecological communities, including the koala and the greater glider,” a department spokesperson said.
However, developer Stockland said there was not enough scat to support the theory of a large koala colony on this land.
Its development application included independent assessment of flora and fauna management plans and there had been comprehensive technical studies and scientific reporting.
The company said it was working with all levels of government and relevant environmental specialists.
The protest will run from 10am on June 16 at Opossum Creek Dog Park in Brookwater.
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