Redland ditches opposition to help state plan southern Thornlands housing estate

A bayside council has decided to help plan a massive housing estate at southern Thornlands, despite losing final control to the state government under special planning powers.

Redland City council will help the state government with planning the southern Thornlands housing estate. Picture: Reatestate.com

A bayside council which once fiercely opposed a massive housing estate has now agreed to join the state government in planning it, marking a dramatic backflip on one of the region’s most controversial developments.

Redland City Council has reluctantly accepted a seat at the planning table after the state took control of the southern Thornlands site by declaring it a Priority Development Area, giving the state ultimate authority over planning decisions.

At this week’s council meeting, councillors voted to join the state’s planning process and drop their own long-term plan for the area, claiming it was the only way to stand up for residents, even if their influence was limited.

Cr Jason Colley, who brought the motion forward, said the council had little choice and needed to be part of the decision making process to help shape where and how thousands of new homes would be built.

Cr Colley warned that infrastructure costs such as sewerage and roads could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and said he wanted to make sure developers and the state paid, not the ratepayers.

A map showing the boundaries of the new state government Priority Development Area at southern Thornlands. Picture: Redland City Council

“We must have a seat at the table for this planning phase,” he said.

“I cannot, in good faith, not be involved with this process and look at our residents and say that we have done everything in our power.

“We desperately need road network upgrades … sewerage alone could potentially be hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We do not want to be a dormitory suburb. We need to be self-sufficient.”

He also called for more jobs, better public transport, schools, and health services to support the expected 20,000 new residents forecast to move in over the coming decades.

But not everyone agreed with the move.

Cr Paul Bishop strongly opposed joining the planning process, warning that by doing so could result in the council agreeing to pay for the infrastructure.

“Council’s role is likely to be limited to an advisory or consultative capacity,” Cr Bishop said.

“If we accept this invitation, I feel that we will become party going forward — and we do not want to be party going forward.”

Mayor Jos Mitchell acknowledged that the council was in a tough spot.

“There’s just so much history here and there’s so much at stake,” she said.

“Council is not the driver of this area … This is a long, long journey, and we do need to be involved in some capacity.”

The move means that the council can try to influence how the housing estate on 900ha is planned but will not have the final say.

Originally published as Redland ditches opposition to help state plan southern Thornlands housing estate