No off-street parking for half of the units in new ‘crammed’ Redland Bay estate

A proposed 159-lot Redland Bay estate has locals worried, with 17 homes lacking off-street parking and narrow streets threatening congestion near a growing primary school.

The new housing estate plans show 159 lots with the smallest 165 sqm and more than half of the units having no off-street carparking.

A proposed 159-lot housing estate in the bayside suburb of Redland Bay has raised fears among residents over shortfalls in parking and narrow internal roads.

Plans for the housing estate, located next to Scenic Shores State School and fronting Serpentine Creek Rd, show narrow roads, small lot sizes, and the lack of off-street parking for some homes.

The development will include 128 detached houses and 31 attached dwellings and units, with 142 homes set to have driveways, offering off-street parking.

That leaves 17 homes, all units, without their own private off-street parking, forcing residents to park cars on nearby streets, some of which are only 5.5m wide.

The housing estate plan. Image: SRCP Traffic Report

The estate plan includes 31 on-street visitor spaces allocated for the 31 units, and another 67 visitor spaces for the 128 detached houses.

A town planning report from Saunders Havill in February said that with more than 51 per cent of lots smaller than 350 sqm and the smallest 165 sqm, the proposal did not comply with area’s planning code which requires a minimum lot size of 400 sqm.

The plans also show the internal road network includes streets of different widths ranging from 5.5m to 16m with most 13m wide.

Streets behind the attached dwellings in lots 2301 to 2327, where the units lack driveways, are 5.5m and would only accommodate a single moving vehicle, raising concerns about access for emergency services, waste collection, and everyday parking overflow.

The new 159-lot housing estate at Redland Bay adjoins the new state school. Image: SRCP Traffic Report

Residents said they were concerned that the tighter lot sizes would force more cars to park on the street, creating traffic havoc near the new school.

But developer Stockland said there was no parking shortfall and all parking and infrastructure requirements were compliant with Redland City Council’s planning provisions and had been assessed and endorsed by a registered professional Queensland engineer.

The developer said all attached dwellings would provide at least two off-street carparking spaces and all road types were designed to accommodate access for service and emergency vehicles.

Redland Bay resident Junita Grosvenor, a former P & C secretary at a nearby primary school, said the mix of narrow roads, lack of driveways and off-street parking would cause traffic issues.

Ms Grosvenor questioned why high-density development was being approved so far from Brisbane’s centre, with limited public transport options.

She also raised concerns about the lot sizes and the estate’s proximity to Scenic Shores State School.

The proposed new road network for the new housing estate. Image SRCP Traffic Report

“Most families have at least two cars and visitors coming and going,” Ms Grosvenor said. “This looks like a parking nightmare for service vehicles, rubbish trucks and ambulances.”

“There’s so much undeveloped land available at Shoreline so why are we cramming tiny lots in right next to a growing school?

“Once enrolments rise, the school could lose its playing fields to classrooms. Shoreline should donate space nearby for future sports fields.”

“The state government just approved 8000 homes in Thornlands — do we really need more small-lot developments this far out where there are barely any buses?”

Sewerage was another issue.

Plans do not indicate how the estate will be connected to Redland’s town sewerage system with the Shoreline housing estate across the road forced to tanker sewage to Logan due to the lack of connection.

A tanker pumps sewage out of the holding tanks across the road from the local school and the proposed 159-lot development which has no town sewerage connections. Picture: Judith Kerr

The estate remains under assessment by Redland City Council.

The council said it was currently considering the code assessable development application, lodged in March.

“Further information will likely be requested from the applicant prior to any decision being made,” the council said in a statement.

“While the application is still going through an approval process, as part of the assessment of the application, the council will consider a range of matters, including traffic and parking impacts.”

If approved in its current form, residents fear the project could become a test case for denser suburban living balancing tiny block sizes with increasing infrastructure pressure.

Originally published as No off-street parking for half of the units in new ‘crammed’ Redland Bay estate