Recent approval of the Karreman Quarry extension extends the quarry into high-quality bushland, resulting in the loss of 50 hectares of Koala habitat.
Karreman Quarries are a significant business in its own right with dozens of trucks and drivers carting material for delivery across SEQ.
The quarry extension will result in loss of 50 hectares of koala habitat
Loss of koala habitat
The lost koala habitat is to be offset but the underwhelming environmental offsets framework has proven to be ineffective in quelling the region’s rapidly declining population of koalas. In fact, the Queensland Koala Strategy found:
‘Protecting koala habitat from the impacts of clearing is a fundamental requirement. The South East Queensland Koala Population Modelling Study revealed that, despite protection measures to date, the decline in peri-urban koala populations may be accelerating. This study concluded that the continuing decline is, in part, related to ongoing habitat loss in SEQ resulting from urbanisation, and that the current pattern of urban development is incompatible with viable koala populations.’ (Bolding by Editor)
The draft strategy continues:
‘The clearing restrictions are proposed to apply to all koala habitat within a KPA, regardless of whether the area is inside or outside the urban footprint. The prohibition on clearing will make the government’s intentions unambiguous, in its efforts to prevent the further loss of koala habitat in KPA.’
The draft koala habitat mapping (recently issued for public consultation) has mapped this area as a KPA, meaning that under the new strategy this would not be eligible for offsets and that ‘clearing of koala habitat is prohibited’.
In terms of the Government’s koala strategy the old adage is true...”the road to hell is paved with good intentions“. But intent is not sustained.
The Environmental Authority is being appealed!
The full extent of the quarry extension applied for is huge. It will extend from West Mt Cotton Rd all the way to Avalon Rd. This will completely isolate bushland and koala habitat between Sheldon and Daisy Hill. Residents lodged submissions to Council last year and were assisted by a Redlands2030 draft template submission, published in September.
While it is true that Redland City Council (MCU19/0050) could find no issue with the proposal under their poorly written City Plan. The State Department of Environment and Science has issued an Environmental Authority which attempts to limit the extent of the quarry. Presumably, this is to ensure safe passage of wildlife from North to South by requiring a 200m natural buffer at the boundary of the lots.
Karreman Quarries is quoted as having ‘absolutely no problems in meeting the conditions at all.” However, the company has taken the Department of Environment and Science to the Planning and Environment Court to get these conditions overruled. They argue that maintaining habitat connectivity is ‘illogical, arbitrary, unsound, contrary to the statutory scheme and relevant principles and unsupported by evidence.’
With regards to maintaining adequate water quality, they state that ‘the proposed quarry is not able to meet the proposed water quality targets’, and that they should only be required to meet the previous targets. This is illogical! Any time a building or development is upgraded, they are required to meet current or contemporary standards and in some cases these standards become retrospective – like residential smoke alarms. The mere fact that they can’t meet the standards surely does not excuse them from meeting them at all.
The appeal goes on to claim a ‘public interest’ as part of the justification for the quarry extension. The claim seems untested in the court of public opinion.
- ‘The Delegate did not have proper regard to the Public Interest which includes consideration of, inter alia, the adoption of the West Mount Cotton Key Resource Area’
- ‘There is strong public interest in ensuring the protection of and access to an important regional resource which militates against the imposition of a 200-meter buffer.’
Last but not least, in what can only be described as deliberately misleading and clearly underhanded, the applicant has asked the council for a “minor amendment” to the proposed development, to allow trucks on the roads at any time of the night! In the initial proposal, including the proposal sent to the federal government, state government and local council, the applicant promised that there would be no change to haulage conditions. They are now requesting to be allowed to dispatch trucks full of aggregate all the way to 7pm at night, with the trucks returning at any time that is convenient to them. The previous condition required no trucks to be leaving or arriving at the site after 7pm.
It is clear that Karreman Quarries is happy to continue to blast holes in the ground to line their own pockets, citing the short term benefit of cheap rocks for developers. This comes at the long term cost to locals and all Australians due to loss of quality bushland, home to a diverse range of iconic wildlife and the impact of the quarry operations on people.
A small community calls for help!
Local residents are concerned that at this stage of the development application process, only a significant response from the public at large has any chance of changing the course of events, with appeals to the Planning and Environment court against the approval a last resort.
In the Planning and Environment Court case for the Gold Coast Quarry, the Judge ruled that there was a material conflict with ‘the protection of the biodiversity value of the site and its surrounds, the green ridgeline backdrop and urban amenity.’ and that as a result of this conflict ‘the balance currently favours refusal of the application.’
Surely the same logic must apply to this quarry extension.
If Karen Williams and Annastacia Palaszczuk are genuine about Koala protection, this development would not be allowed.
Redlands2030 – 19 February 2020
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
8 Comments
Koalas, koalas and more frigging koalas.When will the public wake up to the reality that apart from the “ALLEGEDLY” cuddly status the Koala is has a minor role in the environment. If you asked the average citizen to describe what the Koala Action Group does the answer is concern for Koalas. I’ve yet to see a publication, statement that isn’t primarily focused on the Koala. i.e. where do they specify the plights of the even more threatened , “lessor”(??) non cuddly/fluffy species?
In reality the less cuddly/cute animals play a far more fundamental/key stone roles in our environment. They claim that they use the Koala as a ‘headline’ flagship focus but champion all species . This is a deeply flawed and grossly inappropriate ( marketing?) strategy that is based on poor understanding of both marketing and the public’s over simplistic focus on issues. The public are for all intents are largely ignorant to the complexity of the environmental web. As such the current (misleading?) name focus and strategies focus on the Koala allows the economic, environmental vandal-ly inclined (see Karreman Quarries etc) to argue for it’s destruction albeit “death by a hundred cuts”. All they have to do is plant “koala” trees knowing full well the Koalas are unlikely to return for perhaps decades. It takes that long for the trees to be of a size to provide safety/security and sufficient fresh leaves to permit their grazing. In the mean time ? where do the surviving Koalas go?
But those trees actually need a Mixed tree species environment. In order to spread the load and make the environment more unacceptable to disease and pestilential plagues. Any farmer who grows a single class of crop knows the risk and the maintenance necessary to reduce that happening.
A mixture of plant species sizes/ages, growth are needed. To encourage that one needs also to consider not only the other flora but also the fauna( including insects etc.
e.g. the native hibiscus is a nursery tree for lady beetles among others. ( I grew one amid my roses and noticed the definite decline in aphids as a consequence. Even though the Hibiscus did look worst for wear during the LB incubation/pre adult stages…but it recovered well and flowered spectacularly .)
The issue that has been ignored in the process of favouring Koalas is the dust pollution that has definite adverse effects on a number of plants and the fauna that rely on them. This ultimately means the over all environment suffers not to mention makes reveg more moot.
Some nearby residents to quarries do a war dance about the dust that affects them but no one is advocating or actively educating the public about the slow terminal slide of the majority of native species in our “bush”
I spent over a decade trying to maintain a small bush care patch but ignorance, stupidity, threats of violence , apathy by the councillors/mayors took it’s toll and now I am deeply saddened each time I pass my old patch.
No no no! Cannot take over more koala habitat!! We need to keep as much natural bushland as possible to keep the koala number up. In fact council should allocate more natural bushland for native animals and less housing and development
“the plan was poorly written” I wonder why? The word at the time was that Seccombe and his infamous Six ( of which our current mayor was a member) were way to close to developers and extraction industry.
One of the egregious decisions was for a developer who petitioned and received a change to a smell exclusion boundary so that it stopped at and went at right angles around the development. Yet the same building free zone still crossed into the neighbouring owners environmental land.
I’ve been to that site and it would have reduced the developer’s number of houses on the estate by about 10 houses.
Is there any wonder why there is such Scientific ignorance in Queensland when the leaders can pass a law that purports to out law that stops the laws of physics to the will of Profiteers like Karreman and the developers.
What is forgotten now but the LNP state Government banned councils from acknowledging Global Warming and it’s consequences so that the father of a minister can sell his land .
Karreman will be dead and gone his heirs will be rich but the Redlands will have two enormous holes ….. Waste disposal tip perhaps in the environmental/ high centre of it …. No houses, no wild life. A fitting monument a stark symbol of their lack of concern for anyone other than their own pointless indulgences and ultimately empty lives.
It is interesting to note that recent research has found that psychopathy ( psychopathic traits) are 5 times more represented in business and politicians than in the wider community.
The most common trait is lack of empathy.
Someday I’d like to see a cost benefit analysis of Karreman Quarries to the Redlands. In short most of the money/benefit doesn’t go to the people via the city… far from it.
My view is we could get on better with out them. Certainly the environment and the yet to be defined problems to the neighbours etc.
Many moons ago retired farmer Joe owned land on Cleveland-Redland Bay Rd Thornlands and had a plan that had some residential, a gym, barbque area, and a 711 type store where the fruit and vege stall used to be that people form all over Brisbane flocked to visit at one time. Then Mayor Don Seccombe rejected his plans so Joe was forced to sell….Cr Dowling was in the meeting while sale negotiations took place. Joe told Mr Karreman where to go in Redlands if he wanted to make money….he did, and has been quarrying ever since, to where he is a big horse racing enthusiast featured in Courier Mail this past week. He said in the article, he makes his money quarrying so he can prosper in the horse racing industry. But now at what cost to the Redland Community….when we have lost so much of our koala habitat? Where and when will it end?
Amy,
I was never a fan of Seccombe but I’m not sure I can see the point you are making.
a. Was it was Seccombe alone who stopped Joe from his plans? Rather it was the council and the prevailing system that did that. As for Peter Dowling being present well so what.
b. Karreman had been quarrying long before Dowling was a councillor.
c. You may note that Karereman has shown his disregard for the Redlands environment before. Back in the Seccombe Six regime he exceeded the limits of his lease at the time by I heard 100 meters. It was suggested that the fine levied was WAY less than he made from that over run.
Karreman is a single minded business man. See his attack on a councillor who was taking pictures while standing on a government road. No surprise that he now has a large fence around the site. My question to him would be that given that the fence was expensive what was it’s point if not to reduce public scrutiny…. of what?
So who in the Council supported this shameful development which will go right to the boundary of Venman National park and right to the border of a large block of land purchased by the state which has been replanted with koala good trees to enhance the area for koala habitat. In about 1995 Goss and ALP lost government as there was a plan to build a tollway in this same valley, the community objected and voted this government out. The Koala Coast state planning was drafted and supported by The State and Councils in SEQ this area that Karraman is planning to trash is the same land that the tollway was to be built.
Tingalpa Creek that runs through the middle of the quarry in the last week has been like flowing chocolate. The offsets identified Have been used already for quarry , there is minimal land to offset for the extra clearing. Karraman has not paid a levy on the amount of material he takes from west Mt Cottön yet other quarries pay a levy, why should the community pay for the damage to our roads due to this haulage route carrying massive tons of material. Why should a company buy a bushland block and then continues to clear and remove material making millions and the ratepayers and taxpayers pay the upgrade of roads . The noise levels from the quarry exceeded the EPA levels in 2011 so Karraman appealed the levels and he was successful, the local residents were affected 6am – 6pm 6 days a week When blasting occurs properties in a wide area of the quarry are affected by vibrations some say their windows shake in their tracks. This approval is a terrible impact on our precious land and the affect on Koala habitat will never been repaired we are left with a massive hole in the ground forever
Shameful greed! This isn’t growth and prosperity it’s lining your own pockets at the expense our our future and environment! Redlands will soon be a place you want to leave.
Toni,
We all despise the placement and the encroachment of the short sighted Karreman environmental calamity , not least me. But we both know that these disasters don’t spring from single actions but often as a result of a long stream of poor decision making., not only from council but also from State governments.
Likewise we also know that many of these “approvals” are as a result of having no LEGAL GROUNDS to challenge them and thereby the State legislation in Court.
In many cases the council is faced with the choice ” between a rock and a hard place”.
i.e. is the council denies the application it will usually wind up in court and the council will expensively lose. And the decision is taken away from the council.
In some cases the council can give in principal approval and suggest compromise. But if as the case with Karreman Industries they don’t care to negotiate and will go to the court. The hard truth is it’s not about local wishes it’s about the letter of the Law.
ego the forum to foment serious Legislative change is in State arena.
But the Redlands is basically dominated politically by the misnamed ‘conservative’ party. And conservative is code for Business FIRST. Not that the Labor party is all that different., other than name.
I find it ironical that (Catch up) Scotty from marketing is now under intense pressure and is sprouting my mantra that Pollies have sworn an oath to the people .It’s a pity he doesn’t adopt that except when he may get a political ( marketing) advantage in the polls.