150-169 Delancey Street Ormiston – submission

A subdivision application currently before Redlands City Council concerns land known as 150-169 Delancey Street Ormiston (RAL 20/0063).  

Submissions about this application close at midnight tonight.

This post includes a template submission objecting to aspects of the proposed subdivision.

About the 159-169 Delancey Street proposal

This land is part of a designated Koala habitat corridor and was zoned environmental protection in the Council’s previous planning scheme. Then, in 2018 when the new scheme was adopted some of the land was rezoned for low density residential development and the balance conservation.

There is an application under consideration for 10 residential lots over areas of both residential and conservation zoning.  

159-169 Delancey Street and the Planning scheme

When the new planning scheme was touted (in 2015) Council said over and over again there would be “no significant change” in the new scheme (compared to the old). That messaging was wrapped around efforts to “sell” its new draft planning scheme that was put to the community for comment.

In the old planning scheme the land was zoned “Environmental Protection” in the draft scheme it was shown as “Conservation”. However, in the scheme adopted by the Council, the land was split and partly zoned “Conservation” and partly “Low-density residential”.

By any measure, the new zoning was a significant change.

The 159-169 Delancey Street Application

The development application (RAL20/0063) pushes the boundaries of the new residential use and the urban development footprint even further into the Conservation zoning. the intentions are described in the planning report as seeking approval for –

1. Development permit for Reconfiguring a lot (RAL) (ie 1 lot into 10 lots and a public road)

2. Development permit for a material change of use ie Dwelling house x 5 which includes the lots partially or wholly within the Conservation zone (i.e. Lots 1 – 5).

Councillor Wendy Boglary went to some lengths on Facebook to alert her community of the application. She outlined some of the issues and invited concerned community members to contact her.

Redlands2030 is concerned that not only was part of the land rezoned from Environmental Protection to Residential but that application being considered by Council encroaches into the conservation lands.

A more robust planning solution would be to buffer the conservation zoned land by use of land in the residential zoning and that fire protection should also be factored into the residential zoning. The proposed approach will depreciate the conservation and ecological values of the land. An ecological minded planning approach should have been discussed by council officers with the developer during the pre-lodgement meeting.

159-169 Delancey Street and nearby koalas

Adjacent to the block are some well known Koala sites and some people believe the reason there are no koalas on the land is the current land management (which includes like grazing of goats and the and the fencing arrangements. There are reports of Koalas on the vicinity and there were firm sightings in the last couple of weeks in the trees along Delancey Street.   
Some local residents believe it is time for a proper tree count and an assessment of how the area operates as a wildlife corridor and that this work should have preceded the rezoning of the land and should now precede consideration of the development application. Local residents want to know if the council is oblivious to the destruction of koala habitat to the likely outcomes of the rezoning and the consequential material change of use of the conservation zoned land.

Make objections by way of a submission

Submissions on this application close 17 December 2020, so there is little time to delay. Redlands2030 apologises for our delay in publishing this post. We have drafted a submission for use by members and supporters which will facilitate time-poor people being able to copy the draft submission and paste the content into an email to be addressed to the Redland City Council. The draft submission reads:

Andrew.Chesterman@redland.qld.gov.au

Re: Submission Application ref RAL 20/0063 159-169 Delancey St Ormiston Subdivide 1 lot into10

Attn: Assessment Manager, Redland City Council

As a resident and member of the Redlands community I am writing this submission to oppose the proposed Subdivision of 159 -169 Delancey st Ormiston from one lot into ten. I am particularly concerned that the residential development is intended to encroach into the land designated in the planning scheme as low-density residential (referred to in the application for a material change of use of land partially or wholly within the Conservation zone (i.e. Lots 1 – 5).

This application does not comply with the Redland Council City Plan and the zoning changes made during the preparation of the new planning scheme did not accord with the Councils assurances that there would be no significant change in the new scheme.  

The application area has multiple environmentally sensitive State Government overlays – Habitat, Koala Corridor, Significant Wetlands, Flood infrastructure zonings.  

The application area is a known area for the movement of Koalas, is often host to native seasonal breeding birds, frogs, marsupials and reptiles.  The ecological assessment provided by the applicant took place during one of the driest hottest years on record and did little to establish the full current and potential environmental benefits of this site.

The parcel of land adjoins high ecological value / high level zoning protection on 3 boundaries – North, South and West – 2 of which are maintained and managed by council.  The value of having such a significant area of land that is already well vegetated in the wetland and conservation management zonings cannot be understated.  

During the typical periods of heavy rainfall the Melalueca grove towards the western boundary acts as flood mitigation, amphibian breeding habitat, and even at times potential refuge for wildlife during heat and fire.  The loss of this patch of wetland alone would diminish the value of the whole regional corridor area.  

Local road and stormwater drainage are at capacity already with flood water backing up both up and downstream of this area.  Further roofing, driveway and roadway run off from more infrastructure at the Eastern part of the property with add further to this issue.

The property is within Councils Koala Safe Neighbourhoods Ormiston area.  Council encourages the community to engage in protecting and enhancing Koala Habitat in Ormiston via signage, tagging koalas, reporting sightings and even praising the Ormiston State School for planting 140 Koala food trees whilst less than a kilometer to the west this application if accepted allows the further removal of vegetation and rezoning of Koala habitat and movement corridors.

This development is not consistent with the Redlands Planning objectives, it is not the interest of the local community nor the public interest with respect of the protection of koalas and koala habitat.  

Yours sincerely

Your name and address

Redlands2030 – 17 December 2020