Clay Gully "once more to the barricades"

The contentious development proposal near Clay Gully Road and Brendan Way has reared its head again and this before the 2016 local government elections and the completion of the City Plan 2015. Clearly this Xmas rush isn’t all about shopping but the Xmas rush is a time to rush things through Council.

Ausbuild again

The recent full page advertisement in the Redland City Bulletin is classic spin, attempting to promote themselves as doing the right thing.  Locals are warning their neighbours (and through social media people across the City) “don’t be fooled” and “stay alert”.  Public notices were erected on the property advising of the submission period being dated 19/11/15 ends 11/12/15.

In addition, Ausbuild and partners placed full page advertisements in the Redland City Bulletin (18 November 2015) which included advice  that they have increased the block sizes and decreased the number of blocks.  Yet the site plan as published in the Bulletin showing 266 lots does not correspond to the public notice requesting a 289 lot development.
The larger 800 sqm blocks as shown in the Bulletin backing onto the Barcrest Drive / Clay Gully Road end of the development.  These can easily be split trough a further application to Council to create 400 sqm lots.  This might somewhat delay the small lot development and seems no more than a convenient use of the planning system.  Re-subdivision is in keeping with the attitude that our “development charged” Council embraces.
How did the application get to this point?
Small lots down to just 320 sqm are just incompatible with the existing character and sense of place.  The battle to keep their homes and their community intact is causing stress and anxiety and is a cost of development Council seems to ignore.
Their is concern that Council planning is “done to communities …for developers!”   Community values of lifestyle, livability and quality of life are sacrificed on the alter of a bigger profit through smaller lots and battery style housing.
The Clay Gully/ Brendan Way configuration of Lot (ROL 005912) is already a Redlands2030 Hotspot

Traffic problems to get worse

If this subdivision is approved as is, it will provide a direct link from the heavily congested Cleveland Redland Bay Rd through to Bunker Rd via the narrow Brendan Way. This will provide motorists a route avoiding 5 sets of traffic lights and making the 6m wide Brendan Way into a major through road.  It will link the high school, Catholic school and preschool and heavily populated suburbs on either end.
Barcrest Drive and Clay Gully Road would be better equipped to handle such a subdivision with their wider roads 12 m or  7.6 m combined with larger verges. Both of these roads have incomplete kerbing, which suggests that they were always going to be extended. Using these two entrances to the development would elimate the rat run effect thus reducing the traffic flow to this proposed development. Brendan Way is a narrow 6m wide road within an a closed estate.
The Ausbuild development would gain from being deferred until the land joining Double Jump Rd is developed,.  This would surely provide better alternatives for traffic and our wildlife corridors.
This subdivision in its present form will make Brendan Way a major traffic corridor, thus reducing the value of  homes but more importantly quality of life and lifestyle.

School Children take a lead

There are a few submissions already made about ROL005912 but one poignant response is from Grade 7 students, and their plea starts:

Locals have a 10 page submission detailing technical objections to the Development Application ROL005912. This objection is ready to be lodged with Council.  But the locals are also lobbying local politicians i.e. both Cr Lance Hewlett, Cr Talty and Matt McEacham (Member for Redlands) on the community impacts and issues.
The hardworking locals are door knocking: to build awareness and as a result they have already generated over 400 submissions. But their critical problem remains how the Rural Non-Urban zoning has been almost abandoned in advance of the new City plan 2015 even being finalised!!!

Cr Lance Hewlett is meeting with residents soon. The State Member has contacted local organisers and said he too was very concerned about the small blocks on Rural Non Urban Zone and the risk as a when a major road through the estate looks certain to become a major link between Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd and Bunker Rd.
People across the Redlands, not just those living in the locality, are supporting locals, because we are all locals, and people know they could be next!
The locals are urging all decision makers to look carefully at this application as it will cause major traffic problems in its current form.  To assist their cause we (Redlands2030) call upon community minded people from across the Redlands to make some noises on behalf of the people of Brendan Way and Clay Gully.  It seems combined community action is the only to make our Council sensitive to the community opinion.
To help a community under pressure people across the Redlands are lending a hand.  Anyone can help by simply copying the following text and paste it in to your email template and send the email to: rcc@redland.qld.gov.au&subject=Development Application Enquiry: ROL005912  or find the email link at the bottom of the website for ROL005912
Remember formal submissions close 11 December 2015, but that wont stop the locals petitioning local politicians.
Redlands2030 – 8 December

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Email the following letter to: rcc@redland.qld.gov.au
Subject=Development Application Enquiry: ROL005912
 
Redland Shire Council
rcc@redland.qld.gov.au
PO Box 21
Cleveland 4163
Dear Sir,
Development Application ROL005912
                   At 21-29 & 31 Clay Gully Road & 39 Brendan Way Victoria Point 4165
 I have many concerns as listed regarding the proposed development and also fear that the high volume of traffic created from the high density development will endanger children and adults lives.

Land Zoning.

Currently zoned rural non urban meaning any development being considered should be of larger style acreage blocks, Not blocks down to 312 sqm.

Magnitude of the development.

The public notice and development signage states that 289 lots are proposed. In the submission a plan shows 266 lots with some larger areas and another with 286 lots. The application is flawed. Lots range from 312 sqm to 600 depending on what plan you are looking at. There are 7 large lots on the western boundary noted as a fire break, but already marked for further development by Council Planning in the correspondence to the developer.

Road widths.

Entry to this development until the completion of stage 5 is restricted to Brendan Way at the eastern end of McConechy Dve. Completion of stage 5 will connect the development into Clay Gully Road, this will then open direct access from Cleveland Redland Bay Rd to Bunker Rd making it a major corridor which will assist motorists to avoid 4 sets of traffic lights. Brendan Way is a 6 m wide road along side of this development designed as a quiet residential street in an enclosed subdivision. This development will turn Brendan Way into a hazardous chocked bottle neck with no options available to rectify the problem without reclaiming foot paths.

Chicken Farm.

The chicken sheds are still in operation with State laws restricting housing from being built within 500 meters of the sheds for Health reasons. Most of this proposed development is within that 500 m restricted area.
Wild life.
Again forgotten with the submission saying many mature trees will need to be cleared, but will be replaced with a new Wild Life corridor to be created. How will our wild life survive until this new corridor is established, planted and given time to mature. Redlands will be known as, what wild life?
 
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