The public are encouraged to formally address General Meetings of Redland City Council. At most meetings someone will likely take up the offer to put a point of view forward, It is a well established convention in Redlands and people, from across the city, can take advantage of the “opening” in the official proceedings of our Council. The process is reminiscent the soapbox of days past and a means of getting a political message heard.
Public participation in Council meetings
Public participation is allowed in accordance with the Standing Orders and provide that in each meeting a period of 15 minutes may be made available by resolution to permit members of the public to address the Council on matters of public interest relating to the Redlands. It is not the case that all Councils extend this arrangement to their residents and ratepayers.
The chairperson (usually the Mayor) will consider each application on its merits and may consider any relevant matter in his/her decision to allow or disallow a person to address the local government, including
a) Whether the matter is of public interest;
b) The number of people who wish to address the meeting about the same subject
c) The number of times that a person, or anyone else, has addressed the local government previously about the matter;
d) The person’s behaviour at that or a previous meeting’ and
e) If the person has made a written application to address the meeting.
A recent presentation (22 May 2019), by Steve Komorowski, spoke of resident concerns about the Moores Farm car park development at Redland Bay. His was a passionate, even emotional, presentation that no “official report” could do justice too. Mr Komorowski also tabled a petition against the development. His presentation to Council is recorded in the video of proceedings and the text is attached below (in full).
The public participation process of Redland City Council is to be applauded, appreciated and should be sustained as long as people take up the offer. Residents taking up the offer are to be encouraged and applauded for the effort. The new form of the soapbox is alive and well in Redland City.
Moores Farm: Car-parking in paradise
My name is Steven Komorowski and I am a here this morning because I am a deeply concerned citizen of Redland Bay. I am here like many others in our local community who also deeply concerned.
The proposed 600 carpark space by this council on Moores Farm Redland Bay will be right in the middle of a quiet seaside community with very little consultation with the local residents.
Like many others I considered the Redlands as an amazing place to raise a family. And again like many others never have wanted to live adjacent a Mega Carpark.
The community we live in is caring, quiet and full of native wildlife. The area to me is Paradise. Weddings along with School Formal photos are often seen along the Foreshore we call The Boulevard at the end of Moores Road.
Councillors though it is understood that their needs to be progress, many of us believe that progress should be inline with community expectations and for our family futures.
Madam Mayor I wish to have tabled a Petition against the proposal of a 600 carpark space on the Southern side of Weinam Creek known as Moores Farm – after this meeting with your permission, I will give these to Mark Edwards our local Councillor for Division 5
There are many issues concerning this development proposed on Moores Farm, however I would like to mention just a few of them.
The area is Flood prone and is the basin for all the new housing estates in the area. Mitigating this flood water during heavy rain events combined with high tides will be a miracle in itself and raises serious safety concerns with people using that carpark.
The increase of traffic will be a concern, as the local community roads were never designed to cater for a 600 carpark space including the Medium density zoning by this council for small lot homes and townhouses.
The adjacent Orchard Beach estate will become a Traffic Rat Run for people heading south through the estate including cars towing boats using the estate as short cut.
Many residents enjoy walking along the Foreshore of this estate for their daily commute, or young families with children on bikes, the elderly and people walking their dogs.
As a deeply concerned citizen I am appealing to Council to make a simpleaction AS SOON AS POSSIBLEand have the Orchard Beach estate blocked off at the end of Moores Rd turning right onto the Boulevard.
This will address a safety concern and perhaps bring a small amount of relief to the local residents of Orchard Beach.
For our family orientated community the adverse effects of road safety and crime, that already occur in the existing parking areas on the north side of Weinam Creek, is a significant concern to all of us.
I have seen a family come back from the bay in their new boat only to return to no car or trailer. The wife and 2 small children crying in the boat whilst the father was frantically searching for a way to remove his boat from the water on a Sunday afternoon let alone get his family home.
We came here to raise our children in a safequiet environment, not a carpark that will attract traffic congestion and crime.
Lastly, the proposal to relocate the existing boat ramp from the northern side Weinam Creek to Moores Farm is also a serious concern. One family directly affected will not only have a carpark behind them, but they will also be beside a 3 lane boat ramp. Boat trailer traffic in the early hours and late into the night will be a absolute nightmare.
Ask yourself a Question
Would you want to live next door to a carpark and a 3 Lane Boat ramp.
- The consistent silt build up at the end of the creek will be yet another problem and prove costly
- At the narrow end of the creek there is little room to even manouvre a small boat. and the local boating community believe it be a safety concern.
Madam Mayor, Councillors. The people in our area have worked hard to purchase their family homes in this quiet bayside suburb. It wasn’t the cheapest place to buy in the Redlands but the additional costs has always been worth it.
This decision by council has turned my family like many others upside down and we do not want to leave this ugly legacy to our children in the future.
This morning, I wanted to appeal to your sense of Empathy and Compassion to Please not Pave our Paradise and Put in a Parking Lot, because that is exactly what you will be doing if this development goes ahead.
Thank you Madam Mayor, Councillors, Ladies and Gentleman for your time.
Redlands2030 – 16 June 2019
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
One Comment
Public participation in Council meetings. Really? Gave up attending meetings after speaking up for saving local towering cluster of koala food trees listed in RSC records as ‘official.’ Ingham’s Enterprises demolished chicken sheds to replace with homes end Ingham St by TAFE fence in Alexandra Hills. Arranged to meet Ingham’s representative adjacent to the site, who stated only ‘those trees that had to be removed, would be’. Sadly for community where I live, a prolific greedy local popular developer was involved in building homes that left no space between school fence & construction, resulting in loss of highly valued majestic irreplaceable koala habitat trees turned to mulch. Only a tight turnaround was left end of street, with long time home owners saying… if anyone died in what resembles a ‘ghetto’…no one would know.
The day final decision was made in Council, I was silenced mid-sentence after saying the word ‘trees’ by now retired councillor presiding that day, stating in a loud voice, ‘done deal, Amy’. So why attend meetings when, as was made clear to me, deals have already been done when residents are permitted to ‘have their say’?
Recently, shop assistant asked if I had ever attended a Redland Council meeting…saying she had…but never again…as the entire meeting centred on trying to reverse a decision that had been made in the past.
In my view, contacting the Qld Ombudsman is a waste of time too as the time I did, asking for answers as to why our specially protected wetland site under Koala Coast Policy? on Moreton Bay Rd suddenly had zoning changed, on what date, and who names of those involved.. There unfortunately for me was an audience listening in same room where I met with Ombudsman, as its my understanding, it is between two people only…so never received a reply. Following up, I eventually received a reply nicely written ‘gobbledegook’. One can only conclude that… Redland City Council is ‘untouchable!’…and have no political authority to answer to. Sad eh? The way I see it.