Defence Housing Australia confirms unauthorised tree clearing of land at Mount Lofty site in Toowoomba

Residents have started asking questions after hundreds of trees were cleared at the site of a highly controversial Toowoomba development. And the property owner has confirmed unauthorised bulldozing had occurred.

The owner of a highly controversial land parcel on the Toowoomba escarpment has confirmed unauthorised tree clearing occurred on the site and is investigating how it happened.

Defence Housing Australia, which was rejected by council to build a 50-lot subdivision on the old rifle range at Mount Lofty in 2020, said it had ordered contractors to clear “fire breaks” on the site a few months ago.

But drone footage showed an extensive area being cleared along the escarpment, raising questions from community activists about the scope and purpose of the exercise.

A DHA spokeswoman eventually confirmed last week to The Chronicle that far more trees had been bulldozed along the escarpment than had been ordered.

“DHA has arranged some clearing of fire breaks on the site,” she said.

“It appears that the extent of clearing is greater than authorised by DHA, and we are currently investigating this matter.

“DHA notes that no regulated vegetation or mapped koala habitat has been cleared.”

It comes after a previous email sent by DHA to community group Save Mount Lofty said the clearing appeared “at this stage, to not have been authorised”.

VICTORY: Celebrating the Toowoomba Regional Council's refusal of the DHA development at Mount Lofty are (from left) Janet Meibusch, Pascale Egan, Joanna Noonan, Jill Meibusch, Shaen Egan and Penny Claringbull.

Group president Shaen Egan said the incident is an indictment of DHA’s management of the property, arguing the 379-hectare posed a significant bushfire risk.

“We’ve been involved with this thing and I’ve always said it’s no good knocking off DHA unless you have an alternative plan – it’s a 370-hectare fire trap,” he said.

“One day there is going to be a fire that is going to come up that hill and take half of Mount Lofty.”

Mr Egan reiterated the group’s suggestion the controversial site be gifted or sold to the Toowoomba Regional Council or new organisation to create parklands and a community centre to support returned servicemen and women dealing with mental health issues.

Save Mt Lofty! concept plan for the proposed 25th Battalion Park, on the former rifle range at Mount Lofty.

Group member Chris Meibusch, who released a book earlier this year about the fight against DHA’s plans, said he was concerned about the government entity’s commitment to managing the site.

“What we’ve got to do is keep the issue focused on DHA’s failure to manage the property, and this is another example of it,” he said.

“There is a concern that this area has been identified as (containing) critical koala habitat, and that has implications.

“It’s just disappointing that DHA won’t meet their proper obligations — they’ve got lantana (weeds) up to 4 or 5m tall on the site.”

Chris Meibusch.

The council, which tried to buy the land in 2012 from the Department of Defence, confirmed it had had no meetings with DHA in the past year.

After it was rejected by councillors two years ago, DHA revealed it would not appeal the matter in court and instead attempt to lodge a new application.

No other projects have been lodged since that time.