‘No-go areas’: How population growth is putting parts of SEQ in the red for developers

Large swathes of sensitive areas in south-east Queensland would be off-limits to developers under a proposal for planning changes recommended by expert ecologists and environmentalists.

The Queensland Conservation Council has released maps – based on national parks and World Heritage Area boundaries – showing what they believe should be “no-go zones” for developers.

It comes as governments and local councils look for land on which to build homes for the region’s growing population.

The red zones in the maps are based on national parks and world heritage area boundaries.

Buffer zones of up to two kilometres wide on the edges of national parks, world heritage areas and Ramsar wetlands are marked in red, while other areas would be categorised as green “go zones”.

The Queensland Conservation Council has released its work with experts from the University of Queensland and Griffith University to reinvigorate stalled federal legislation first announced about 18 months ago.

Queensland Conservation Council ecologist Natalie Frost said the state government should also review its controversial policy of allowing tree clearing on Priority Development Area land that is offset by clearing a similar size parcel of land outside the PDA.

“Especially since the research shows one in seven offset areas has failed and the Queensland government has not yet released the findings of their offset policy review,” Frost said.

She said moving to a traffic-light mapping system could enable homes to be built faster to meet targets in the recent South East Queensland Regional Plan.

“These bioregional plans actually speed up the approvals process and provide certainty for developers so we can get the housing needs delivered a lot sooner,” Frost said.

“They set out those no-go areas as clear conservation zones.

“It takes years and years to go through the approval process, with various ecological assessments undertaken.

“What this does is rule out upfront … the clear no-go zones, so developers don’t go there in the first place.”

Conservationists’ eight-point guide to protecting south-east Queensland’s environment

1. All red zones recognised as “conservation in perpetuity”.
2. Recognise some important habitats have not been effectively mapped.
3. Must use scientifically defendable reasoning.
4. If there is biological uncertainty, land must be zoned “orange”.
5. If environmental risk is high but scientific evidence is unproved, choose the environment.
6. Avoid clearing, and use land offsets as a last resort. 
7. Remember there is imperfect data in some environmentally significant areas.
8. If land is zoned both “red” and “orange”, it should be deemed “red” to prevent development.

Source: Queensland Conservation Council, University of Queensland, Griffith University (June 2024)

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek recently rejected plans for a marina in Cleveland plus 3600 units in internationally recognised wetlands.

The Toondah Harbour project was initially made possible by the Queensland government in 2013, when it declared it a Priority Development Area.

Frost said large areas of Queensland were still being cleared, but “there is more than enough land that is available that isn’t greenfield to ensure we can meet those housing needs”.

In 2022, Plibersek named south-east Queensland one of three bioregional zones in the state where the new legislation would be tested to fast-track development but protect endangered species.

Queensland Environment Minister Leanne Linard on Tuesday said planning was underway in the three zones, but she could not give a timetable for completion.

Last week’s state budget allocated $2 million and funding for 8 staff for the next two years to continue work on the bioregional plans.

“The plans will be underpinned by specially developed methodology that maps and models environmental values and development pressures, and aligns with other initiatives, including ShapingSEQ 2023, the Queensland Critical Minerals Strategy, and the Renewable Energy Zone Roadmap,” Linard said in a statement.

Frost said the work should have been done 10 to 20 years ago and limits already put in place “to protect threatened plants and animals in places like western Springfield, where locals are fighting to protect Woogaroo Forest”.