Eprapah Creek crossing route proposed in report to Redland City Council

Eprapah Creek crossing route proposed in report to Redland City Council

A controversial $1.6 million footpath, bridge and boardwalk across Eprapah Creek will be discussed at Redland City Council’s general meeting on Wednesday.

The proposed pathway would link Villa World’s Affinity Estate residential development off Boundary Road in Thornlands to Fox and Bell’s Victoria Point Lakeside shopping centre.

There is already an adequate pathway linking these developments.

Eprapah Creek

Eprapah Creek

Opposition to the pathway comes from local residents, environmentalists and Villa World, the property developer who is currently obligated to construct the pathway by an infrastructure agreement with the Council.

A petition opposing the pathway has been signed by 270 people.

Despite widespread opposition, council officers are recommending the pathway to be constructed.

But the officers report to council fails to explain why $1.6 million should be spent on a project which appears to offer little community benefit but plenty of environmental harm.

It is an obvious question and one which councillors should get answered before they vote on this matter.

Surely there are plenty of other infrastructure projects in Redland City which would be better uses of ratepayers money.

The officers report to council is item 11.2.3 of the general meeting agenda.

Property developer says take the money instead

Property developer Villa World advised the Council in 2016 that it does not want to build this pathway which is likely to cause significant environmental damage.

Under its infrastructure agreement Villa World is obligated to provide the pathway but spending by the developer is capped at $1,276,380.

Villa World has offered to pay this amount to the Council in return for not building the pathway.

The report by officers to councillors says:

The Agreement as it is currently written does not allow for VillaWorld to make a financial contribution in lieu of completing the works

The obvious question which councillors should be asking is:

Why don’t we change the agreement?

Local newspaper says leave this koala habitat alone

An editorial published by the Redland City Bulletin in 2016 said:

With a serviceable pathway between the two locations already in place, with science showing that habitat destruction has decimated Redland koala populations – leaving their survival hanging in the balance – surely destruction of the koala habitat at Eprapah is not the wisest way forward.

Community opposed to Eprapah Creek crossing

Local residents are concerned about an increase in anti-social behaviour if this pathway is constructed.

Environmentalists have identified a number of concerns including loss of koala habitat in an area set aside for conservation purposes.

A petition to the Queensland Parliament calls on the Redland City Council to cease this damaging proposal and to vary the infrastructure agreement with the developer to allow equivalent money to be spent upgrading the existing bicycle track or similar beneficial infrastructure. The petition lists the following concerns about the proposed pathway:

  1. The environmental damage that would be caused to Eprapah Creek by the construction of a pedestrian / bicycle pathway crossing the creek.
  2. This bridge is unnecessary as there is an existing safe, shorter bicycle route along Boundary Road connecting growing urbanisation to the shopping centre.
  3. Construction of this bridge and pathway would damage the creek’s banks, waterway and surrounding bushland, seriously affecting documented flora and fauna including listed vulnerable species such as koalas in an area that has been set aside for conservation purposes (Eprapah Creek Corridor).
  4. There are grave concerns about erosion caused by machinery which would flatten the bank of the creek to allow access to a pile-driver. This would lead to destabilisation of the creek bank resulting in siltation damaging the seagrass habitat and mangroves in the creek estuary, most of which has Marine National Park status (MNP24 in Marine Parks Moreton Bay Zoning Plan 2008) and Ramsar protection.
  5. Residents are also concerned about an increase in anti-social behaviour in bushland and safety for users of this pathway at night.
  6. In addition, there are likely substantial cost overruns and ongoing maintenance costs to the ratepayers.

Here is a link to the petition:

Proposed footbridge and bicycle path over Eprapah Creek, Thornlands/Victoria Point

Further reading on Redlands2030:

The Eprapah Creek bridge puzzle

Council threatens Eprapah Creek wildlife habitat

Redland City Bulletin stories

Landcare group fights on over Eprapah Creek bridge proposal

Drop Eprapah Creek bridge and pathway plan, says councillor

More vegetation clearing in Redlands

 

 Redlands2030 – 18 February 2018

5 Comments

Amy Glade, Feb 20, 2018

Further to Villa World developer not wanting to build bridge over Eprapah Creek due to causing serious environmental harm, nor locals (270 signatures) that RCC’s public servants seem hell bent on having built, come hell or high water as the saying goes. Why! When there appears to be no crying need for it. How great and generous of Villa World developer to instead offering to hand money…loads of it…to Council for other more worthwhile projects…. which brings me to announcement on Gold Coast radio yesterday and I quote:
“protect children from Q’ld sun by seeing that shade cover is installed in playgrounds”..or words to that effect. Every piece of play equipment in Bne park playgrounds have shade cover.
My request in council appears to fall on deaf ears on asking for shade cover over newly installed play equipment in Chantelle Crt Park, Capalaba, where 4 long streets lead into it, that did have natural green shade cover, until Council slashers reduced the shade trees encircling the children’s playground to expose swings and cube climbing stack, to baking in the sun (Q’ld being the melanoma and skin cancer capital in the world) in morning hours effectively keeping families away as told to me by parents of small children. I had, as in Bne parks, asked for equipment carers, including elderly, could use while caring for youngsters, but was informed there is no money in the budget. I have paid rates to Redland Council for past thirty (30) years, same address, and feel RCC could take a leaf out of BCC’s book and consider placement of equipment both young and old could use.
Please consider using some of Villa World developer’s money to provide the necessary requested shade cover in Chantelle Court Park (off Finucane Rd at Elmhurst St) that families, including foster carers I met there in the past, for which there is a crying need, will be encouraged to visit for community health and well being.
Please consider this a worthwhile project…

Amy Glade, Feb 19, 2018

Re crossing of Eprapah Creek & building a boardwalk brings back painful memories as regards the Coolnwynpin Creek boardwalk built by work-for-the-dole young men prior to the present day local government administration from Old Cleveland Rd bridge to connect with pathway all the way along to Windemere Rd Alexandra Hills. It was lovely…I say ‘was’…until our specially protected wetland site under Koala Coast policy plan was filled in, polluted, for commercial development. Set back was inadequate from creek bank, where today, if one were to venture into the area from 19 Crotona Rd Capalaba you would see the towering, concrete, graffiti covered walls of the commercial development lining the creek bank providing vandals with an ideal place for anti social behaviour.
Capalaba councillor in today’s local government administration put the ‘icing on the cake’ so to speak by, (on being asked by Capalaba Central Management to fix the metal railing lining the man-made bank from Koala Tavern through to Old Cleveland Rd that had two timber rungs in centre having rotted), arranging to have Council build a tall, residential style, non-see through timber fence, scaring any pedestrian from using it for fear of a mugging (that had happened in the past when pollies thought it a good idea to open up the Crotona Rd pathway through to CBD shops on completion of the commercial development).
Central Mgt were aghast at the timber fencing, thinking it would be similar to original ‘pool type metal fencing’ so passers by could still see through to the green creek vegetation, now impossible. Parking undercover this week, tried not to look when driving out, at the pieces of sizeable cut outs top of the timber panels that…as the saying goes…’is a sight for sore eyes’.
Please don’t allow this kind of creek degradation anywhere else in Redland City unless there is an environmentally friendly plan in place that does not end up in polluting the waterway and is welcomed by the local community.

Leonard White, Feb 19, 2018

This bridge is part of an MCU Approval as an agreement ? What is its status . Is it a CODE APPROVAL? Can any one list where to find it on PD on line or in Council Minutes?

Lynn, Feb 20, 2018

My understanding Leonard is that the agreement is an infrastructure agreement that is made between the developer and council as part of the overall approval for their development. As such it is not publicly available but could perhaps be sought under the Right to Information legislation. Council is saying that it cannot be altered but if one party (the developer) is willing to make changes that benefit the community you’d think that sanity would prevail and council would also agree to such changes.

Dennis Tafe, Feb 19, 2018

Let’s hope that councillors can take all factors into consideration and make wise decisions. After the secrecy surrounding the ongoing saga with the Walker Commercial Development Proposal for Toondah Harbour many of us are losing faith in the ability of Council, as a whole, to make wise decisions in the best interests of the residents and the unique wildlife of the Redlands. The latest Questionaire sent out by Andrew Laming to all residents of the Redlands is almost a joke when you read the six questions asking for a YES or NO answer. The Walker Commercial Proposal has nothing to do with strengthening the Straddie economy or making our bayside an International Drawcard. It is simply another unit development but the difference is that it would decimate protected shore-bird habitat.

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