Blueberry Crest slapped with fines as large scale construction in place despite pending council approval

A blueberry farm north of Toowoomba has been slapped with an environmental fine and enforcement notice for clearing koala habitat.

The developer of a regional Queensland blueberry farm has come under fire for bulldozing native koala habitat and allegedly starting construction before securing council approval.

An application for Blueberry Crest, which will be situated on 33ha of land bordering the Geham State Forest, was submitted to Toowoomba Regional Council back in December 2023.

In addition to 15ha of blueberry plants, the development includes dams, greenhouses, and a proposed road access through neighbouring properties.

The application is still pending, and councillors will decide on its future at a special meeting next month.

Although those approvals are still up in the air, satellite imagery shows construction taking place on the property which has neighbours concerned.

Google Earth images between late-2022 and mid-2023 show trees removed from the property and the construction of multiple dams.

Rows of blueberry plants under greenhouses can also be spotted from a neighbouring property.

The landholder of Blueberry Crest has been fined almost $15,000 for intentionally removing 4000 sqm of koala habitat. It comes as the development application is scheduled for a Special Council meeting on September 18, 2024. August 21, 2024. Picture: Christine Schindler

A nearby resident, who declined to be named, claimed the property was “almost immediately cleared” after business entity Rolfe Nominees Pty Ltd purchased the property in October 2022.

The Queensland Department of Environment confirmed to News Corp Australia the landholder had been fined $14,375 in July for “intentionally clearing” 4000 square metres of mapped koala habitat “to expand their business without approval”.

“There is no excuse for illegally clearing mapped koala habitat, which threatens the future of these iconic, beloved, and protected species, but doing so for commercial gain is particularly unjustifiable,” a DES spokesman said.

They were also issued an enforcement notice requiring them to fully rehabilitate the decimated site.

Blueberry Crest has proposed a 1.8km of unbuilt local access road (orange line) as part of its application.

Residents near the property have written to the state government and council, expressing concerns around the project.

Neighbouring landholder Bryan Lyons wrote to the council raising issues with the development’s traffic safety measures.

Mr Lyons’ issues with traffic related to the project’s limited driveway access, due to its intersection with the double-lined New England Highway.

Rather than using the driveway from the New England Highway, an alternative 1.8km of back road, which would need to be built through southern neighbouring properties has been proposed.

His letter also expressed concerns around dam overflow and koala habitat clearing.

Neighbouring property owner Lucas Neal also expressed concerns about potential effects to water flow in his creek.

Since the plans were submitted, the council has made multiple requests for more information relating to traffic, water management, road construction and parking.

Up to 80 staff are expected to work on-site during peak blueberry season.

Toowoomba Regional Council declined to comment on the active application, which will head to a special meeting on September 18.

News Corp Australia has made multiple attempts to contact the director of Rolfe Nominees Pty Ltd.

Blueberry Crest has been fined almost $15,000 for clearing koala habitat without prior approval. Picture taken on 19 November 2023. (supplied)