The Queensland Government is seeking community feedback about its proposed new planning laws – the planning laws which underpin what our Council’s do. Submissions are due by 6pm Friday 23 October. Instructions on how to submit are provided below at end. Redlands2030 has prepared a short submission which people may wish to use as a template for their own
Draft planning bills submission due 23 October 2015 Read Post »
Earlier this month, the US Broadband Opportunity Council declared that broadband is “taking its place alongside water, sewer and electricity as essential infrastructure for communities”. Descriptors like “very fast” (Australia), “superfast” (UK), “ultra-fast” (New Zealand) or “ultra-high speed” (Singapore) reinforce the message that speed is an essential component of good broadband. But what would a
Broadband is the key infrastructure for the 21st century Read Post »
Communities across south-east Queensland are up in arms about development approvals which don’t seem consistent with planning scheme guidelines. Redland City examples include plans for an eight story building in a near CBD area zoned for five storeys, and several instances where medium density developments are proposed in areas zoned for detached dwellings. These inconsistencies
Will new planning laws improve community outcomes? Read Post »
Australia may be one of the most liveable places in the world, but a new report ranks us in the middle when it comes to sustainability. Of the 34 OECD countries, Australia ranked 18th. The report compared OECD countries’ performance against the new Sustainable Development Goals, to be formalised in New York at the end
Australia is liveable but lags on sustainability Read Post »
Redland City Council Meeting had a general meeting on 12 August 2015. Prior to the meeting several residents gathered outside the council’s chambers to protest about two issues: Development plans for Rushwood Estate in Thornlands; and The Translink levy imposed by Council on southern Moreton Bay island properties Here is a link to the Council’s
Redland City Council news – 16 August 2015 Read Post »
Federal MP Andrew Laming has received clear feedback from a recent survey with 80% of respondents saying that he is not doing a good job. The on-line survey, conducted by Redlands2030, finds that he should focus on Federal Government issues instead of local council and state government issues. Respondents to the survey said that he
Andrew Laming MP – what you said about him Read Post »
We may lose a lot more than honey if bees are unable to cope with the changing climate and increasing demand for agricultural land. Your morning coffee might be a thing of the past if bees disappear, and if coffee isn’t your thing, you undoubtedly eat many of the fruit and vegetables (and chocolate) that
Losing bees will sting more than just our taste for honey Read Post »
Despite his earlier fervent opposition and having voted very strongly against the National Broadband Network (NBN) under Labor, in recent times Federal Member for Bowman, Andrew Laming, has become something of an NBN evangelist, wildly spruiking the Coalition’s ‘Fast, Affordable, Sooner’ claims. I count no less than ten articles in local press over the past
The Coalition’s NBN – a huge waste of money Read Post »
As we worry about where we will put Australia’s ever-increasing population, urban trees are becoming collateral damage. So how much are our trees worth to us? According to Melbourne City Council, they can cost up to $62,000 each. But putting a price in dollars on a city’s trees does not represent their real value. Without
Sustainable cities need trees, not freeways Read Post »
The community spends an awful lot of money on infrastructure. But does it get spent wisely? And what could we do to ensure that we get better value for taxpayers and ratepayers. Infrastructure is normally defined as facilities, shared by a community, that are necessary preconditions for economic activity. Commonly there are three forms of
How best to invest in infrastructure! Read Post »
