Zipline opponent floated plans for a Mt Coot-tha cable car

AN ENVIRONMENTAL consultant who has addressed a forum and meetings organised by opponents of a planned zipline at Mt Coot-tha unsuccessfully tendered for a rival proposal.

Ziplines have been proposed for Mt Coot-tha. Picture: Kualoa Ranch

AN ENVIRONMENTAL consultant who has addressed a forum and meetings organised by opponents of a planned zipline at Mt Coot-tha unsuccessfully tendered for a rival proposal.

Ashgrove’s Alan Lee approached Council in late 2016 with a plan to build a cable car on large concrete pylons above the tree canopy from the Mt Coot-tha summit to the Botanic Gardens entrance.

He confirmed he later, unsuccessfully, tendered for a zipline that would have traversed the Mt Coot-tha quarry.

His Mr Lee said he did not reveal his involvement in those proposals when he spoke at a public forum in the CBD on the weekend or at recent public meetings organised by community groups opposed to plans for a tree top zipline and mega zipline by Council’s preferred tenderer, Zipline Australia.

“My conscience is clear. It was never my intention to be the public face of the objectors to the current proposal,’’ Mr Lee said.

“My background is not relevant to the current proposal.

“I also never intended to put a zipline through the Mt Coot-tha reserve or the botanic gardens.

“My proposal would have been entirely within the quarry, which has a limited life, and the cable car would have required no clearing and would have been absolutely quiet like the one in Cairns.’’

Alan Lee

Cr McLachlan revealed Mr Lee’s zipline tender, made under the name Mt Coot-tha Skyworld, had one of the lowest scores on its value-for-money rating.

Zipline Australia’s tender had a rating of 85.5, by contrast.

“I thought, Mr Allen Lee of Ashgrove, I’ve seen that name before,’’ he told a Council Budget session earlier today.

“And I went through the Council minutes for the meeting back here in December, on the 5th of December last year, the outcome for the RFP Stage One process provision and operation of the Mt Coot-tha Zipline.

“The preferred tenderer, Ziplines Australia, received a value for money rating of 85.5.

“What was one of the lowest scores, Mt Coot-tha Skyworld. Alan Lee, Ashgrove.

“Now, I don’t know what was in Alan Lee’s proposal, I’m not sure if Mr Alan Lee of Ashgrove, tenderer for the zipline, and Mr Alan Lee of Ashgrove are one and the same person... but if it is the same Alan Lee who is now the opposition’s community champion on this case, has Mr Alan Lee of Ashgrove declared that for the purposes of transparency as a conflict of interest?

Councillor David McLachlan. Picture: Brad Cooper

Mr Lee is listed as the senior environmental scientist with Douglas Partners on its web page.

He said he had nearly three decades of experience as a consultant to industry, including mining companies and quarries.

He confirmed he had not revealed his submissions on the zipline and cable car to community groups opposed to Councils proposal, but said he had “only ever gone to (public meetings on the zipline) where I was invited’’.

Cr McLachlan went on to say, in Chambers:

“I recall, Madam Chairman, that back in late 2016 I received a [inaudible] submission for a cable car to be built from the Mt Coot-tha summit to the entrance of the Botanic Gardens.

“I went back and looked at that submission.

“Guess what? From Mr Alan Lee of Ashgrove. Replete with photos of concrete towers built all the way down from the Mt Coot-tha summit to the Botanic Gardens.

“Again, I don’t know, I don’t know if that was in Mr Alan Lee’s submission for the zipline, because it didn’t get a high VFM (value for money) because we didn’t get to see those, we only saw those that were preferred tenderers.

“But it would be of great interest to know whether or not if this is one and same Mr Alan Lee, whether or not he has declared that as a conflict of interest when he makes his statements about the zipline now in the current context.’’

zipline for Mt Cootha

Mr Lee said the current opposition to the Zipline Australia proposal confirmed his conclusion to Council, submitted with his zipline tender, was correct.

His submission to council read, in part: “Any zipline proposed to be located in Mt Coot-tha Forest itself is likely to attract community objections and political protests that will threaten its approval.

“Even with the tightest planned controls of development and operation, environmental interest groups are likely to give a special place such as Mt Coot-tha Forest a higher priority for the role it plays in conserving the region’s declining biodiversity and as refuges for threatened species.

“The Forest will be seen to be the cornerstone of conservation in the Brisbane area and should be managed and wholly protected for its environmental values.

“Introduction of a commercial activity such as a zipline that has potential to compromise the conservation values and impact on the passive enjoyment of millions of future visitors to the Forest will be considered to be inappropriate.

“Recent cancellation of the proposed zipline in Kondalilla National Park is an example of the strength of environmental opposition.

“For these reasons, the location of the zipline in this (Mr Lee’s) proposal has been placed wholly within the quarry area, not in Mt Coot-tha Forest.

“This quarry location has been specifically selected in order to avoid environmental impact including loss of habitat, noise to neighbours and visual amenity.

“I believe that my comments have been proven to be correct.’’