Council’s wishlist includes a $180 million duplication of the Cleveland train line.
Candidates for the 25 November state election are being asked to commit to a long list of projects and community services on Redland City Council’s wishlist.
The document Redland City priorities for the 2017 State election was approved at the Council’s general meeting yesterday.
Straddie transition is top priority
Redland City Council says its number one ask is for the State Government to fully fund the economic transition of North Stradbroke Island at an estimated cost of $110 million.
The need for this funding has not been substantiated with a detailed breakdown of proposed work and cost estimates, so it’s not clear how much thought has gone into the wishlist.
Previously, Mayor Karen Williams has called for $200 million in Straddie transition funding.
The Council advocacy document mentions a few examples of projects and services it would like funded by the state government including:
- Implementing the Dunwich Masterplan
- Delivering a Great Walks of Straddie trail similar to Three Capes Walk in Tasmania
- Improving public transport and subsidising the cost of travel to the island
- Building facilities for eco-tourism, schoolbased visits and tertiary research
- Funding marketing campaigns and seed funding for local business opportunities
The council also wants more funding for the southern Moreton Bay islands, saying they require equivalent access to funding as is made available to all other rural and remote Queensland communities.
Public Transport
About $2 billion of transport infrastructure is included in the Council’s state election wishlist including:
- Extending the Eastern Busway to Capalaba at an estimated cost of $1,730 million
- Duplicating the Manly to Cleveland train line at an estimated cost of $180 million
- Upgrading Cleveland Redland Bay Road and Moreton Bay Road
- Ferry terminals on Russell, Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra Islands at an estimated cost of $26 million
- Other marine infrastructure including boat ramps and pontoons
Social and community services
A proposed $71 million rebuild of the Cleveland Aquatic Centre will require state government funding says the Council which has only budgeted about $20 million for the project.
The Council also wants ongoing state funding for the Donald Simpson Community Centre. Earlier this year the Council voted 6/5 to cut its $100,000 per year operational funding support for the Centre.
Crisis accommodation for victims of domestic and family violence is identified by the Council as a growing need for Redland City.
Other wishes
Mosquito spraying on state land currently costs Redland City Council $800,000 per year and the Council would like greater financial assistance.
To boost employment opportunities and reduce the need for residents to leave the city each day for work, the Council wants the State Government to establish satellite offices in the Redlands.
Leslie Harrison Dam is not on the wishlist
Despite frequent grumbling on social media from at least one councillor, restoring the Leslie Harrison dam gates at an estimated cost of $18 million is not in the Council’s long list of priorities.
The Dam’s current owner, SEQ Water, says there would be minimal benefit to the security of the region’s drinking water supply if the dam’s full supply level was restored.
Council is asking for a reduction in State-imposed bulk water cost increases.
What about the Toondah Harbour ferry terminal
Another item noticably absent from the Council’s wishlist is a few million for a modest upgrade of the Toondah Harbour ferry terminal.
The current plan for this to be done by Walker Group, in return for being allowed to develop 3,600 apartments on dredged Ramsar wetlands lacks community support.
An on-line poll in the Redland City Bulletin shows more than 80% of respondents want the current Toondah Harbour PDA proposal to be abandoned.
Redlands2030 – 9 November 2017
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6 Comments
The Council wants the state government to establish satellite offices in the Redlands. In the last Redlands Planning scheme there was not one Sqm of new commercial or industrial land identified. If the Council was genuine then instead of covering every acre of land in ugly unit, townhouse and home development they would see the need to have land for employment, a good start to keeping local residents in the city by having local jobs. I did wonder when the “I will fix the roads” posters that the mayor plastered all over the city a week before the election would happen and now just realised that it was all about pushing the problem to the state. Whilst both levels of government have a need to upgrade the roads as the development is pushed through council, everyone sits on their hands
April 25 2017 The Council rezoned an industrial estate at Redland Bay to residential.
It is hard to see why this is a benefit to anyone except a property developer.
How does this relate at all to providing work in the Redlands to save residents commuting to Brisbane.
It is hard to see residential land being rezoned to industry. LOL
http://www.redlandcitybulletin.com.au/story/4617328/redland-bay-industrial-land-approved-for-housing/
As the previous manager of an education based secondary school field trip service, which travelled often to North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), permit me to give you just a couple of facts as we near the coming election. Our Redland Council has not properly supported local tourism businesses for years but they have used the contact details of the local businesses to have a number of $42 breakfasts, promoted as business breakfasts. The last one I attended at Indigiscapes was free but it turned out to be an advertising seminar by a local solicitor’s business in the same style as a time share seminar. Some of the operators of tourism businesses to Straddie have recently been hit with fees for each and every client by Queensland National Parks. Ask Barefoot Dave, the owner of Kingfisher Eco-tours, how much he pays in fees each time he takes clients over to the Island. What about the toilet facilities for tourists at Point Lookout and Amity Point. They are woeful. Imagine being on a 65-seater bus headed for Point Lookout. There are just 3 unisex toilets and a separate men’s urinal. At Amity Point the tiny public toilet near the boat ramp is inadequate and it stinks. I have only just returned from Amity Point. Some long term businesses on Straddie have changed ownership over the last two years because business drops right off every winter. e.g. Seashells Café at Amity Point and Straddie Bakery at Dunwich. Moreton Bay Research Station is struggling to make a profit because local schools find it cheaper to go down to Northern NSW for biology field trips and Minjerribah Holiday Camp didn’t even answer the phone on the last two occasions we rang them. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but our local council and our state government have not been supporting these businesses for years and the previous owner of Seashells Café is now running a take-away café down in Tasmania.
Councils election wish list looks a random collection of “good ideas”. There is no framework and no rhyme nor reason . For instance would Redlands really need a busway and a rail duplication …at the same time?
Clearly one competes with the other and either would buy time before the other is needed.
Wouldn’t a Toondah ferry upgrade solve many problems for the Council (and the State) by reducing the demands for infrastructure in Cleveland?
The list looks a hamfisted grab bag of ideas…perhaps specially selected and politically favoured legacies.
All up there seems not strategic planning or priorities for the call for well over $2 Billion of election commitments from the ALP, LNP and presumably other parties.
It might be best deemed a “Why bother” list of ideas … a list that will disappear after the election ….no matter who wins Government.
But at least Councillors will be able to claim they did something ….it just wasn’t a serious something!
The busway would compliment the rail service.
People from Southern Redlands are not going to drive Cleveland or Ormiston to catch a train.
The current proposal for Toondah adds 9,000 residents. That will put more pressure on existing infra structure so it is not part of the solution.
I think we are in fierce agreement. It almost doesn’t matter what they (the Councillors) say…it is all about being seen to do something …and be able to pass the blame on (to the State or Federal Governments