Inside story: Environmental issues holding up Coomera Connector build

Major work on building the much-need second M1, the Coomera Connector, will be delayed until at least next year, as traffic and commute times blow out.

MAJOR work on building the Coomera Connector could be delayed until at least mid-year as the state government works through environmental and legal issues, warns the Opposition.

Answering a question by Opposition environment spokesperson Sam O’Connor in Parliament, Transport Minister Mark Bailey said a koala management plan for the second M1 had been drafted and would be available for public viewing once approved by federal environment officers as part of a public environment report.

New detailed artist impressions of the Coomera Connector

“The report is expected to be released for public comment in mid-2022,” Mr Bailey said.

Mr O’Connor said funding was not an issue for the Coomera Connector, but after seven years there was yet to be a business case with detailed plans.

SEE THE WORST ROADS TO FOR YOUR COMMUTE ON THE GOLD COAST

“The Gold Coast deserves better because we cannot rely on a national highway to connect our suburbs, we need a local road,” he said.

Mr O’Connor is urging the government to intervene and buy-up the Greenridge site at Pimpama as an environmental offset to allow the highway to proceed much faster.

The area marked shows how large the Greenridge site is at Pimpama, in the northern Gold Coast.

The Bulletin understands 254ha in green offsets need to be acquired, and Greenridge covers 407ha.

The Federal Government needs the Palaszczuk government to locate and secure prime environmental land as an “offset” before it can approve the six-lane highway from Nerang to Coomera.

Transport and Main Roads conceded in earlier negotiations on Greenridge that the land presented a “significant opportunity” for environmental offsets.

A map showing the land which is part of the 407ha Greenridge site at Pimpama on the northern Gold Coast.

But the Bulletin understands the government instead was looking at a combination of surplus Crown land and those bought early during the Coomera Connector process.

“Correspondence from Transport and Main Roads shows they are looking to cobble together spare bits of land they have,” Mr O’Connor said.

“That might technically meet their environmental offset but it doesn’t deliver genuine environmental outcomes like Greenridge.”

Bonney MP Sam O'Connor at State Parliament —urging action on the Coomera Connector.

“The state government should work with the council to properly protect Greenridge. It would both provide more than what we need in offsets and achieve everything the council wants to on koala protection,” Mr O’Connor said.

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