Farming land in Southern Redlands
The proposed Shoreline development would extinguish a vital tract of prime farming land in Redland Bay. Productive farms along Serpentine Creek Road and Scenic Road will be lost to future generations and as will their right to farm.
This would be a sad legacy of the current Redland City Council and State Government.
Don’t rush to build houses at Shoreline
I want to see a long-lasting agreement between Council and State Government about securing valuable food-producing land in Redland Bay. I don’t want the Council to be rushed to make decisions which has so often seen farm land sacrificed for housing. We need to determine our priorities and offer protection to this ideal cropping soil rather than develop it for short-term gain.
My husband and I are mixed cropping and livestock farmers on the Darling Downs and as I spent many years of my childhood at Victoria Point, I am keen to return to the Redlands.
We will need farm land for the future!
Demand for urban agriculture will increase and planning controls need to be kept in place to secure the future of this first-class farming land. Small scale farms should be a feature of the Redlands and this allows the land to remain productive indefinitely. Future Redlands residents will need land space to grow food locally.
The Redland City councillors should genuinely plan for the Redlands residents of the future.
How will our children judge us if we extinguish the last remaining farm land at Redland Bay?
Karen McKechnie
Further reading
Redlands rural future in the balance
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Redlands does not have to be wall to wall McMansions. I wanted my kids to grow up seeing and understanding where their food (and flowers) came from – from the ground farmed by families not plastic wrapped in Woolies. We are losing that connection to country
I lived at Scenic Road for many years, there was some crop farming done there but a lot of the land was not inuse as much of it had been sold to aprevious developer as part of a golf course estate, this development had been rejected by a previos council. It would be great if it could be returned to farming
Josie Oldroyd. Victorie Point
Josie, actually I think you are thinking of Babcocks Farm, Fetini bought that, originally it was promoted as the Greg Norman Golf Estate but it went no where, never even had an application lodged in Council. It was only ever a marketing plan but all part of the now named “Shoreline” development. The proposed Golf Club that was planned is now proposed to be residential housing.
Farming must be economically viable or the land ought to be used for its best alternative purpose. We also own land in Redland Bay and our soil is marginal at best. A macadamia orchard which was viable in the seventies is not viable today as many more trees are required to raise the productivity to a viable enterprise. As well (housing)neighbours ought tnot to be subject to the chemical sprays, or the boom of bird canons to scare away the white cockatoos that feed from the scraps left by householders. Neighbours ought also not to be disturbed by the noise of machinery 24/7 which is required to run a farm at times of the year and which was never an issue before housing was allowed next door. Therefore land must be judged for its best purpose to the community as a whole and a farmer ought not to be trapped because he owns land unable to be used for the purpose it was bought which is now no longer relevant..
Thank you for the timely case for retention of prime farmland.
Were you allowed to see the new City Plan before it went to State Govt to check on farmland?
You never know, it might have protection of GQAL ( archives say that means Good Quality Agricultural Land).
But doubt it: the new City Plan will already have been decided in consultation with the Redland Development Industry Reference Group and protection of farming land is obviously not on their agenda. Salad Bowl land seems to be for growing houses, sorry , houses and units.
I recall in the Rural Futures documents the State had that area south of Redland Bay identified as Good Ag land. I am sure it is still the case, was down there a few weeks ago and just been planted out, looked amazing, down in Scenic Road large farms just planted up, Family happy farming still, the interesting thing is that the owners are not farmers they are developers and yet they are renting to share famers who are making a go of it.
Hello Tony, reading your comments with interest. Your facts are ‘almost’ correct, in that yes the farmers are still farming, however this operation is a small part of a bigger operation elsewhere. If this operation existed on it’s own, it would have been shut down years ago. (and yes I do know the operators well) Looks can be very deceiving unfortunately.
It is imperative that we keep good farmland for the future generations if not for ourselves. We will need it to feed all those millions of extra people populating Australia in the not too distant future, encouraged by successive Governments.All they consider is money, the taxes rates increased population brings. Does anybody think where our food comes from? What type of land it is grown on and in what manner? How much it can produce? Will China sell the produce it grows on land purchased from our farmers here or will it ship it to China to feed it’s own growing population ? Brick and mortar will not feed us. Commonsense tells you not to destroy what we need to survive….good soil to grow our food, clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.