People power to oppose a $3 million ambulance station in Ormeau residential area
Coomera MP Michael Crandon has thrown his weight behind the push to relocate a $3 million ambulance station in an Ormeau residential area. Residents are hoping “people power” will prevail after zero community consultation.
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A COOMERA MP is hoping people power will force the State Government to change the controversial location of a $3 million ambulance station in a residential area at Ormeau.
Michael Crandon said he had met with angry residents, who had commissioned him to ‘fight the good fight’ for them and they had launched a petition opposing the Peachey Rd site.
“We’ve lodged the petition on the State Government parliamentary website and it already has nearly 200 signatures,” he said.
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“It’s up to locals to show the State Government that they won’t be kept in the dark. Now is the time for them to speak up and voice their opposition to this crazy, controversial site by signing the petition.”
Residents met last week (July 2) with Mr Crandon and deputy mayor Donna Gates to discuss their outrage about the Peachey Rd site.
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They believe an industrial estate in Peachey Rd, or on Transport and Main Roads Department land on Orange Mountain Rd, adjacent to the M1, would be a far better option.
“We’ve now got a plan in place,” Mr Crandon said.
“I will be putting questions on notice about the location and writing to Health and Ambulance Services Minister Steven Miles,” Mr Crandon said.
The MP, Cr Gates and residents are angry that they were kept in the dark about the site and the lack of community consultation.
All parties claim they were given no warning of work starting on the site, immediately after an announcement about the station last month.
Residents are also very worried the new station will devalue their properties by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Local police officers have told me that they can’t believe an ambulance station will be built there because of all the traffic in the area. They say they already battle to get in and out of Peachey Rd,” Mr Crandon said.
“Everyone thinks the State Government has rocks in its head to put an ambulance station there.”
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Cr Gates said while she recognised there was a great need for an ambulance service in the northern corridor, she was sympathetic to residents who weren’t consulted about the location.
Meanwhile, Mr Crandon said he was alarmed the demolition process was ‘rushed through’.
“In my 10 years in my role as the local Member of parliament, I have never seen anyone move at such lighting speed,” he said.
“The State Government got the approval on June 7, demolished a house on the site the next day and the following day, they started putting up a colour bond fence.
“I’ve been told by the assistant commissioner Michael Metcalfe that construction will only take place in the first half of 2022. So, why the big rush now? What’s going on here?”
QAS Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Draper has said the station would be ideally located to help cover the growing northern corridor and help with response times.
“It is perfectly located where it is. We can get to the highway, get to the industrial area, the residential area — that’s why it was picked,’’ he said.
“The north end of the Coast is huge. The idea is to help with our response times to get to cases quicker.”
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