The Mayor takes a train
Council wakes up to the fact that transport is a key issue for people in Redland City
On Friday morning the Mayor took a train into the City. This exciting news was posted on Council’s Facebook page.
People were invited to submit questions or comments about transport to and from the Redlands. The Council also advised that forums about transport issues will be held on:
- Sunday 1 November, 2pm – Redlands Performing Arts Centre
- Saturday 7 November, 1pm – Victoria Point Library
- Saturday 14 November, 2pm – Capalaba Sports Club
What has prompted this sudden Mayoral interest in responding to community unhappiness about the area’s transport infrastructure and services? Is it the fact that there’s an election just a few months away?
Council Meeting on 7 October
Here is a link to the Council’s meeting minutes. You can watch a video of the meeting or listen to an audio recording.
Some of the matters discussed at the meeting are detailed below.
Koala mapping and changes to local laws
Council decided to defer this matter (Item 11.2.2 Local laws Amendments) to allow further discussion about mapping with the Koala Action Group. It is expected that discussion of this item will resume at the next Council meeting on 21 October.
Redland Investment Corporation
Keynsham Street Park is one of 16 areas identified by Council as “surplus land”
The final item of business included lively discussion about Council’s land sale activities, leaked documents and the role of Redland Investment Corporation (RIC) . The extent to which Council had been transparent about its land sell-off plans was debated vigorously.
CEO Bill Lyon said it was very unfortunate that confidential documents had been leaked and that a very transparent process had been set up. He said that before any block of Council land is transferred to the Redland Investment Corporation it would be discussed at a Council meeting.
It was noted that the sale of 108 Old Cleveland Road, Capalaba had been discussed at a Council Meeting (March 2014). It was not made clear why this land sale had to be executed through RIC.
A touch of farce
Adding a touch of farce to proceedings, the Mayor requested that Councillors resolve to publish the RIC’s Statement of Corporate Intent, seemingly unaware that this document was published on the Council’s website a few months ago.
If you were unable to attend the meeting you can watch discussion of this item (16.1.1) on the video recording.
Further information is available in this Bulletin report.
The information leaked was a list of 35 blocks of Council land considered for disposal at a councillors’ workshop in October 2014. Details of these blocks of land were published in the Redland City Bulletin and in the Redlands2030 post: Secretive plans for rezoning and sale of 16 parks revealed in Draft City Plan.
Council’s plans for rezoning of land in Bunker Road Victoria Point from Conservation to a mix of residential development and open space was the subject of a Bulletin Report on 8 October. This land borders the Eprapah Creek catchment.
Redlands waterways health – reporting and spin
On Friday Council issued a news release about its 2015 Redlands Waterway Recovery report. It is a classic example of Council spin.
The full Waterway Recovery Report (Part B, page 5) states:
Fourteen out of fifteen creek catchments rated poor to fair condition (93.0 %). Seven catchments rated poor: Thornlands, Moogurrapum, Macleay Island, Cleveland, Weinam, Serpentine and Torquay Creeks. and seven rated fair: Tarradarrapin, Hilliards, Native Dog, Coolnwynpin and Eprapah Creeks and Lamb and Russell Islands.
However, Upper Tingalpa Creek remains in good condition and Eprapah Creek improved from poor to fair condition.
But the news release, misleadingly titled “Eprapah responding to waterways remediation”, leads off with six paragraphs about the one creek where an improvement has been measured (from poor to fair). Then twelve not so good results are dealt with in a couple of paragraphs.
It’s time for the CEO to implement some strict protocols about Council’s news reporting to ensure that residents get accurate information instead of spin.
Previous “waterway recovery” reports and other information about Council’s waterways reporting are available here.
City Plan 2015
Consultation is continuing about the Council’s Draft City Plan 2015.
Information can be accessed via the Council’s City Plan 2015 webpage.
This week the Council will hold the following consultation activities:
Capalaba and Victoria Point
Capalaba Central Shopping Centre Wednesday 14 October from 11:30am – 1:30pm
Victoria Point Town Centre Wednesday 14 October from 11:30am – 1:30pm
SMBI
Macleay Island Community Hall Thursday 15 October from 4:00pm – 7:30pm
Russell Island Recreation Hall Saturday 17 October from 10:00am – 4:00pm
Ney Road closed for water slide on 17 October
On 17 October Council is letting the City Slider water slide operate on Ney Road, Capalaba.
Exact details of road closures have not yet been made available. More information about this event is available here.
Report by Redlands2030 – 11 October 2015
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
4 Comments
What should our transport system look like in 20 years’ time to meet our changing needs?
If you believe it is not good at the moment, I dread to think what it will be like with the current council going mad bringing in even more people with no jobs for them.
The population in this city is exploding particularly in the southern part, between Cleveland to the southern extreme of this city. With only one corridor to the city from this part of our city being Old Cleveland Road and not one train line between Salisbury and Cleveland one will need a helicopter to get to work in anywhere near Brisbane in five years’ time let alone twenty.
Tunnels are built in Brisbane almost without a spell so surely what needs to be done is a train line from Buranda to Capalaba with stations at Coorparoo, Carina, Carindale, Chandler and Capalaba. (All the C’s). It should include preserving a corridor for future extension to Victoria Point. When you think of all the train lines on the northern and western side of Brisbane, including the new line to Kippering soon to be opened, I can’t believe a line to Capalaba has not been put on the drawing board long before now. Maybe this council has been too busy giving developers more and more concessions at the expense of rate payers.
Six people in council have got to go in March, Most thinking people know who they are, spead the word and keep up the presure on the six. Let us have a decent sustainable council next time round. In the next 5 months the lies and spin will be in full swing, you can win but do not stoop to their level, just hope for a good and honest council next March and good luck.
Wow one day we saw Campbell Newman catching trains and then it is Malcolm Turnbull and of course Mayor Williams has to get into the news, All such a token, Whilst the Mayor and her team continue to push for more houses, units and townhousese yet NOT one sqm of industrial or commercial land included in the draft Planning scheme, the traffic in and out of Redlands will continue to be a problem. Lets instead reduce the quick buck housing released land and replace it with land for business and local jobs.
What stikes me dumbstruck is the statement in the Waterway Recovery Report “In the Redlands, we
value our waterways”. How can this be believed when “Fourteen out of fifteen creek catchments rated poor to fair condition (93.0 %). Seven catchments rated poor” and only “Upper Tingalpa Creek remains in good condition and Eprapah Creek improved from poor to fair condition”?
Spin, spin and more spin from this Council. Bring on the next election!