Finucane Road development plans include new traffic light intersection

A new set of traffic lights would be installed on the section of Finucane Road between the Alex Hills Hotel and Delancey Street, if plans for a new aged care facility and private hospital in Ormiston are approved.

Local identities Steve Lambourne, Michael Choi, Warren Pryde and Craig McCombe are the project proponents.

The community has until 4th September 2023 to comment on a request for development approvals to be fast tracked through the State Government’s Ministerial Infrastructure Development process.

Proposed Finucane Road impacts

This section of Finucane Road is a limited access state road providing arterial connection from Cleveland and Ormiston to Capalaba and Brisbane.

An 80 kms per hour speed limit currently applies.

The developers are proposing that they be given access to Finucane Road via a new set of traffic lights (known by traffic engineers as a ‘signalised intersection’) 370 metres west of the major intersection between Finucane Road and Delancey Street. This is less than the 400 metres spacing required in the State Government’s Limited Access Policy for Limited Access Roads.

To avoid impacting adversely on the flow of traffic along Finucane Road, the developer should be required to reconfigure the development proposal so that all vehicles access the site as at present via Delancey Street which is a local access road.

Town planning

The State Government noted that it and Redland City Council have concerns with the proposed development occurring ‘out-of-centre’, in pre-lodgement advice to the project proponents.

Pre-lodgement advice from Redland City Council noted that the proposal was inconsistent with the Redland City Plan.

The proposed uses (medical facilities and aged care facilities) should be located in either the Cleveland CBD or possibly in the health precinct around the Redland Hospital.

Information for consultation

Details of proposed changes to traffic management on Finucane Road are included in application for Ministerial Infrastructure Designation MID-0523-0700 – Hub68 Centre for Excellence which is out for public consultation until 4 September 2023.

You can find documents in the Ministerial Infrastructure Designations public register, by clicking the tab “Requests open for consultation”. Links to all of the documents are provided below.

• Appendix A – Landower s Consent.pdf
• Appendix B – Site Details (Title Searches and EMR-CLR Search).pdf
• Appendix C – DSDILGP Prelodgement Meeting Summary.pdf
• Appendix D – Redland City Council Prelodgement Meeting Summary.pdf
• Appendix E – Site Plan.pdf
• Appendix F – Architectural Package.pdf
• Appendix G – Landscape Concept Plan.pdf
• Appendix H1 – Site Works (Preliminary) Overall.pdf
• Appendix H2 – External Works (Preliminary) Overall.pdf
• Appendix I – Economic Needs Assessment.pdf
• Appendix J – Traffic Impact Assessment.pdf
• Appendix K – Site Based Stormwater Management Plan.pdf
• Appendix L – Civil Engineering Water Supply and Sewerage Services Options Assessment.pdf
• Appendix M – Environmental Noise Assessment.pdf
• Appendix N – Ecological Assessment.pdf
• Appendix O – Bushfire Management Plan.pdf
• Appendix P – Hub68 Centre of Exellence – Aging and Wellness MID Endorsement Request.pdf
• Rpt-230705-Hub68-Town Planning Report – Version 2.pdf

Making a submission

The Government wants submissions made online using a form which can be found here.

For assistance or further information about the infrastructure designation process, email infrastructuredesignation@dsdilgp.qld.gov.au or call 1300 967 433.

Going for Planning Gold

If the request for Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) is granted then the project would be assessed by the State Government instead of Redland City Council.

The Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) process is described by the State Government as “an alternative to lodging a development application with the relevant local government”.

The Wolter Consulting Group explains why developers should want an MID.

An Infrastructure Designation is like Planning Gold! No longer bestowed on only public sector entities, an Infrastructure Designation (ID) is an opportunity to designate premises for the development of essential infrastructure and services, faster, at lower cost and without risk of appeal.

The MID process is managed by the State Government’s Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning under Deputy Premier Steven Miles.

Most MID applications are submitted by state government departments but private entities can lodge applications also, for uses such as private schools and hospitals.

But the Government can and should refuse private sector applications if their proposals can and should be submitted for review and approval through the normal development assessment process administered by local councils.

Ormiston College and the MID process

Earlier this year Ormiston College commenced seeking MID approval for tree clearing and development approvals after failing to get approvals from Redland City Council. This was discussed in an article published by Redlands2030: Koalas threatened by Ormiston College expansion plans.

Redlands2030 – 25 August 2023