Plans to clear 550 trees as part of a $200 million sports centre development at Heinemann Road in Mount Cotton have been referred to the Federal Government by Redland City Council, to decide if this project should be a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The public has until 14 February 2023 to submit comments about the Council’s contention that this project does not need to be scrutinized as an EPBC controlled action by the federal Department of Environment and Water.
This project is described as Redlands Coast Regional Sport and Recreation Precinct and its EPBC number is 2022/09420.
Comments about this referral can be made online via the EPBC Act Public Portal.
General advice about making comments is available on the EPBC website.
If the Federal Government makes this project a controlled action then they would also decide how it is to be assessed. Likely options range from a full blown environment impact statement (EIS) to a simpler form of assessment such as assessment on preliminary documentation or the information provided with the referral.
Environmental impact of the sports centre
Plans for construction of the proposed Heinemann Road sports centre include clearing 550 trees, including 319 classified as potential Non-Juvenile Koala Habitat Trees. This clearing would affect 33 hectares.
Native fauna using this site includes koalas, kangaroos wallabies, echidnas, possums and sugar gliders.
One of the larger trees on site, which is not proposed to be cleared, is used for nesting by a pair of Wedge-tailed eagles.
Heinemann Road sports centre backstory
The Council has been planning development of this sports centre since purchasing the 159 hectare site from the Goleby family in 2017 for $7,350,000.
An officers’ report to Council on 24 May 2017 said that purchasing the Heinemann Road property would reduce Redland City’s 76.5 hectare deficit of land for sporting facilities by 46 hectares, leaving a residual deficit of 30.5 hectares..
But after purchasing this property, the Council did a detailed planning study and found that only 21 hectares could be used for sports and recreation facilities.
While estimates of usable area at Heinemann Road have decreased, the estimated development cost for this project has surged. In 2020 a report to Redland City Council by Ross Planning put the likely cost at $40-60 million. But two years later, the estimated cost of this project had risen to $200 million according to a Courier Mail story.
Current plans for the site include BMX, cycling and walking tracks together with zero depth water play as the first stage of development. Rugby League and touch football facilities would eventually be built as the second stage.
More information is available on the Council’s Have Your Say webpage.
A list of eighteen alternative sites considered for new sports and recreation facilities in the Redlands is included in a confidential report submitted as part of the Council’s EPBC referral. This report (Attachment 27 Additional Sport and Recreation Land – Location Summary) lists eighteen possible sites for sports facilities and notes that six have “potential for further investigation”.
EPBC referral documents
The Council’s EPBC referral includes many documents available in the EPBC Portal.
For convenience, here are links to some of these documents.
EPBC Referral 2022/09420 Redlands Coast Regional Sport and Recreation Precinct
Redlands Coast Regional Sport and Recreation Precinct Master Plan 2020
Redlands Coast Regional Sport and Recreation Precinct Master Plan 2019
Project master plan and staging
Matters of National Environmental Significance Report 18 January 2023
Redlands2030 – 1 February 2023
Update 6 February 2023 – edited content dealing with Attachment 27 Additional Sport and Recreation Land – Location Summary.
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
One Comment
Re: Proposed Heinemann Road Sporting Centre, Mount Cotton, (Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act – EPBC Number: 2022/09420).
Koala conservation must be a priority today…endangered in Redland City. We sadly lost local Capalaba koalas to development…now extinct on once lovely flowing Coolnwynpin Ck corridor, by ‘Specially Protected Wetland site’, TAFE grounds, end Ingham St, nearby park where KAG planted koala trees. Uncontrolled development mercilessly turned to mulch all koala food trees on Crotona Rd corridor between Windemere Rd Alex Hills & Moreton Bay Rd bridge, by CBD. We lost local koalas as towering concrete walls built by developer created a dangerous place by walkway that became a haven for social misfits. Also lost koala habitat known as Bowen St Bush, Capalaba…nursery to mums walking between there & Valantine Park. Asian developer cleared site for units, who tried catching wildlife jumping out of tree hollows while boasting of money he’ll make, taking some neighbouring trees for good measure, providing mulch to irate home owner. Koalas now extinct. Irate citizens in social housing, Denison Crt, asked for replacement bushland. First elected mayor Eddie agreed to bushland block between Bowen & Keith Sts named Keith St Reserve & house block on Bowen St for children’s playground. The ‘ENVIRONMENTAL LEVY’ came into being to purchase the two sites that all Redlanders contribute to today in their rates. It horrifies me that Council would spend ratepayers environmental levy contributions totalling… $5,148,000.00…in regards to loss of 550 mature koala trees. All applications for development should recognize and exercise control over clearing of sites where wildlife habitat is evident, loss of which can impact heavily on health and wellbeing of the local community. Recall, during Seccombe Administration, male standing at attention stating: “none of the environmental levy will be spent in my neck of the woods so to speak….there are better places to spend it!” Is this what he meant?
Surely time has come to halt the wanton destruction of koala trees in Redlands whether for housing or a sporting complex such as on Heinemann Rd where 550 mature trees are planned to be turned into mulch.
Australian Workers Union Labor Party ex-MP for Capalaba, Jim Elder, made it clear to neighbour Lyn, that in future, the only koala we will see, is in the zoo. Only an irresponsible, destructive local, State and Federal government would continue along the path leading towards total koala extinctions. The biggest killer of koalas is loss of habitat.