Nine koala trees will be removed if Redland City Council approves reclassifying this Redland Bay site from High Value Bushland to Medium Value Rehabilitation, despite a 2015 decision that the trees be retained.
Election of a new Deputy Mayor, removal of koala trees in Redland Bay and changes to the Rhodes apartment complex in Capalaba will be discussed by Redland City Council at its meeting on Wednesday.
Nine Redland Bay koala trees to be removed
Nine koala trees in Redland Bay will be removed if Council approves a request for land at 97-101 Unwin Road in Redland Bay to be reclassified from High Value Bushland to Rehabilitation Habitat.
The officers report includes the following:
An application for Reconfiguring a Lot (1 into 9) at 97-101 Unwin Road, Redland Bay, was approved by Council on 05/05/2015. This approval identified nine (9) trees to be retained on the site, as they are covered by the high value bushland habitat or medium value rehabilitation designations for koala habitat. The applicant has now lodged a minor change application seeking the removal of all nine (9) koala habitat trees. As part of this minor change application, the applicant has lodged a request to reclassify the koala habitat from High Value Bushland to Low Value Rehabilitation Habitat under Schedule 11, Part 4 of the Planning Regulation 2017.
The developer’s request for this site to be reclassified to Low Value Rehabilitation Habitat is supported by a report from Queensland Ecologists whose website states:
“At Queensland Ecologists, we pride ourselves on cost-effective reporting which achieves regulatory compliance while delivering tangible environmental outcomes.”
The officers report recommends that the area be reclassified to Medium Value Rehabilitation instead of Low Value Rehabilitation in order to trigger a requirement for the developer to do offset planting if they remove the koala trees.
The officer’s report is item 11.2.4 of the meeting agenda.
What is the State Labor Government doing to protect koalas in south east Queensland?
While councils and developers regularly game the current rules, the State Labor Government is doing nothing to improve protection of koalas and their habitat in south east Queensland.
After a report highlighting devastation of koalas in the Koala Coast (mainly Redland City) and Pine Rivers the Government set up an Expert Panel which delivered an Interim Report back in March 2017. At that time the Government said the Panel’s Final Report would be delivered mid 2017.
Redlands2030 understands that the Final Report was completed but it has not been made publicly available. It seems the Panel may have made recommendations which the Government is unwilling to act upon – like protecting koala habitat in south east Queensland.
Here are contact details for the State MPs in the Redlands.
Capalaba apartment project to be downsized
Due to “market conditions” the Rhodes project in Capalaba will be reduced from 271 to 139 dwellings.
Plans for changes to the Rhodes apartment complex in Capalaba will be considered by the Council on Wednesday. The officers report is item 11.2.5 of the meeting agenda.
Currently the developer has approval for six towers with a total of 271 apartments.
The proposed new configuration will have only 139 dwellings including 41 “multiple dwellings”.
The officers report says:
The applicant advises that the changes have been made due to current market conditions and the subsequent demand for townhouses.
Arguably, the proposed changes would result in sub-optimal development on this site (close to shopping centres and main roads) by allowing low-rise dwellings in an area zoned for mid-rise development.
In years to come, 132 additional dwellings may have to be put elsewhere in the Redlands resulting in increased density in other areas or more urban sprawl, if these plan changes are approved.
A planning scheme is supposed to guide the city’s development with a view to meeting long term requirements but in Redlands it seems that meeting the short term commercial self interest of developers is a higher priority.
New Deputy Mayor for Redland City
Cr Lance Hewlett is set to become Deputy Mayor of Redland City for the next two years.
Redland City could have a new Deputy Mayor after Wednesday’s meeting.
After the 2016 local government elections Redland City Councillors decided to elect Cr Wendy Boglary as Deputy Mayor, for a term of one year. Last year councillors voted to give her a second year as Deputy Mayor.
But Bloomfield Street scuttlebut says councillors will soon decide formally to elect Cr Lance Hewlett as Deputy Mayor for the next two years.
Attend the meeting
Meetings are held at the Council chambers in Bloomfield Street, Cleveland.
Members of the community can observe Redland City Council’s meetings from the public gallery.
The next meeting, on Wednesday 18 April, starts at 9:30 am.
Here’s a link to the meeting agenda.
Redlands2030 – 17 April 2018
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8 Comments
It Sucks! Let the coals re-locate!
What a performance by Councillors Talty and Gleeson at the Council Meeting on 18th April 2018! Both councillors acted out a meaningless leaving of the chamber to abstain from the vote for the deputy mayor. Meaningless, because there was only one nomination for the position. Why were Councillors Talty and Gleeson engaged in theatrical grandstanding? Did they do it to grab some headlines in the media? They accused their colleagues of doing backroom deals to have Lance Hewlett to become deputy mayor. Apparently there were discussions and they were said to be involved. So what is going on?
Does this type of behaviour demonstrate the immaturity and petulence of both councillors Talty and Gleeson?
Would they have tried it had the mayor, Karen Williams, been chairing the meeting?
The person who showed maturity, wisdom and leadership was the deputy mayor Wendy Bolgarty who chaired the meeting. Wendy was gracious in her comments as she explained to Councillors why she was standing down as deputy mayor. She firmly believes that the job of deputy mayor should be shared among councillors to give them broader experience at council and give them an opportunity to grow.
What Wendy showed during this whole episode is that she has what it takes to be mayor of Redlands. She provides true leadership encouraging people to work together and getting the best out of them. She is a real asset to Redlands Council and our Redlands community!
It costs over $500 to take a car and pop-up camper to Kangaroo Island but tourists still go in droves because of the abundant wildlife and scenic beauty. I have just seen trees with 3 koalas in them yet in the Redlands councillors seem hell bent on destroying as much koala habitat as possible. Then we see articles in the RCC magazine encouraging people to plant saplings. Please get serious.
How many times do we see offsets offered to remove mature trees?? Mature trees are where we find koalas sitting, feeding, resting. Why remove them when the previous 2015 plan passed approval with all 9 trees were to be kept! Redlands have lost too many mature koala food trees to consider losing 9 more!! The offsets would take 15 years to become a valuable asset for food or rests trees for any koalas using these trees, where do they go in the meantime? We have taken the majority of their mature trees away already.
Amazing. Dr Dennis Tafe says new Deputy Mayor Lance Hewlitt is not in pockets of developers and knowing they all have deep pockets, only time will tell. Some years ago I asked a real estate developer if any other council was as corrupt as Redlands, reply was that ‘all councils are corrupt’.. for obvious reasons. As for protection of koalas, State Labor Government heavyweights have never, from my observations of living in Capalaba over past 30 years, shown interest (having bashed my head against a brick wall trying to save..silenced in Council.. officially listed in RSC records, known koala habitat, at Alex Hills TAFE fence, destroyed for ghetto-style housing smack up to fence on Ingham St. along with ‘Specially protected wetland site under Koala Coast Policy? 29-37 Moreton Bay Rd). My feeling is it’s too little too late, were the AWU Labor Premier, new MP for Redlands Kim Richards, State Development MP Cameron Dick, plus other Redland MPs, Env Min Leeanne Enoch, collectively, go so far as to enforce protection of koala habitat before finalizing planning decisions, perhaps with a concentrated effort, our much loved marsupial has a fighting chance of survival in Redlands.
The removal of a forest is all about taking one tree at a time.. so in Redlands we can (sadly) expect another 9 koala trees will fall without too much fanfare.
As to the Council’s new deputy Mayor…if it ain’t broke dont fix it…Wendy B has done a great job…her reward should be another term.
But wouldn’t it be good if the Mayor’s position was also an election by the Divisional Councillors…it works for State governments and the Federal government. Why is local government different from the tried and true method.
We need to do away with the “powerful” mayor syndrome …which relies on massive donations for a city wide election campaign.
I support the election of Lance Hewlett as Deputy Mayor because he opposes small lot housing and is not in the pockets of developers, unlike some councillors who will remain unnamed. We need direction in the Redlands which supports the wishes of the residents. For too long we have had councillors who use the word “tourism” or the word “jobs” as an excuse to let developers destroy mature habitat at will. Our wildlife has no voice in what happens.
It’s only nine! Out of how many koala trees?
I think we’re at the point where we need to reject the removal of ANY koala trees as a starting point, if we’re at all serious about retaining koalas in the Redlands. It’s time to draw the line, and mean it.
Councillors, it’s up to you!