Extended delays to the Redlands sports and recreation precinct have been discussed recently by elected councillors, so we thought it might be useful to publish a fact-based story. It’s a long story, so we will do it in parts.
Mayor wants to buy land for sports and recreation
A short email from Mayor Karen Williams on 12 January 2017 asked staff to “arrange an onsite meeting with Stan Goleby at his Heinemann Road property with relevant officers from Sport and Rec and perhaps someone from RIC? “.
“I want to establish opportunity costs, commercial opportunities for buying that property for Sportsfields” said the Mayor. Her email concluded with: “Happy to have Merv attend but Stan knows Merv’s offer anyway”.
Merv was Merv Elliott, Redland City Council’s Property Services Manager.
In the Winter 2013 issue of the Council’s glossy Our Redlands magazine, Merv is described as a knockabout guy with a passion for a fair deal. He said: “If you are fair to people, be honest with them, don’t beat about the bush, be open, then – nine out of 10 times – you will achieve a good compromise.
Merv went on to say: “In the Redlands we have a settlement rate of 99 per cent … that’s probably one of my best achievements: getting people to accept a fair value for their land.’’
RIC is the Redland Investment Corporation, the Council owned land management company established in 2014 “to generate income that will help fund infrastructure and services and minimise rates hikes”.
The meeting was scheduled for 27 January 2017. Karen Williams, Lex Smith (from the Council’s City Spaces group), Merv Elliott and Peter Kelley (the CEO of RIC) were told “On arrival, Stan Goleby will meet you at the gate in his 4WD. Stan will then take you in his 4WD onto the property”.
The site visit must have gone well. Soon after, the Council’s City Spaces Group formally engaged RIC to enter into negotiations with the owners of 277-293 Heinemann Road.
Merv Elliot, the guy with a passion for a fair deal, was sidelined.
A contract was signed on 27 March 2017. Stan, Valda and Betty Goleby would sell their Heinemann Road property to Redland City Council for $6.68 million (GST exclusive) with final settlement to take place on 26 June 2017.
Having negotiated a price and got a contract for sale signed, RIC engaged Savills to provide a property valuation. It’s puzzling that RIC didn’t get a valuation BEFORE negotiating a price for the Heinemann Road property which might have helped them to negotiate a better price.
The Heinemann Road property comprised two lots with a total area of 159 hectares. The southern lot with an area of 58.2 hectares was zoned Conservation. The Northern lot with an area of 101.2 hectares included about 53.2 hectares of Conservation land at its southern end, and about 48 hectares zoned Rural Non Urban at its northern end.
On 4 May 2017 Savills reported that they valued the property at $6.5 million but considered the $6.68 million contract price to be “within acceptable market parameters”. Savills’ report advised that the Conservation land was worth about $35,000 per hectare and the Rural Non Urban land was worth about $55,000 per hectare.
| 277-293 Heinemann Road | Rural Non Urban | Conservation | Total |
| Northern lot | 48 hectares | 53.2 hectares | 101.2 hectares |
| Southern lot | nil | 58.2 hectares | 159.4 hectares |
| Total | 48 hectares | 111.4 hectares | 159.4 hectares |
| Zoning split | 30% | 70% | 100% |
Council approves purchase of land for sports and recreation
A confidential officers’ report recommending purchase of the Heinemann Road property for $6.68 million (ex GST) was approved by Redland City Council at its meeting on 24 May 2017.
Councillors were told that the Redlands needed 76.5 hectares of sports fields and the Heinemann Road property would reduce this deficit by 46.0 hectares leaving a residual deficit of 30.5 hectares.
It was noted that back in February 2010 the Council had resolved to commence negotiations with the owners of this property. It was not explained why nothing had happened for seven years.
The properties were described as having “significant environmental values with over half of the site being heavily vegetated with mature habitat”, providing “linkages to surrounding Council owned conservation land” and having “potential as an offset and revegetation site”.
Benefits of purchasing the land would include “furthering sport and recreation opportunities” and “providing increased opportunities for social engagement through sport and recreation as well as ongoing positive impacts on physical and mental wellbeing within the community”.
The officers report said: “There are no risks in the procurement of this land”. Really?
The attached Savills’ valuation report noted that investigations of Redland City Council records indicate the property is traversed by the ‘flood prone land’ overlay, which is predominantly in the north eastern section of the site. The northern section of the site was the area proposed for location of sports fields. Flooding wasn’t mentioned in the officers’ report.
Funds used for purchasing the Heinemann Road property
Officers proposed that 70% of the purchase price ($4.68 million) be funded with the City’s Environment Reserve and 30% ($2.0 million) be funded from the Parks Reserve. This 70% : 30% split reflected the percentage of land zoned Conservation and the percentage of land zoned Rural Non Urban.
On these numbers, the Council was spending $2 million to get 46 hectares of land for sporting fields which must have seemed like a great deal, at the time.
Council announces land purchased for sports and recreation
On 27 June 2017 the Council announced that it had purchased the 159 hectares Heinemann Road property with about a third of the area to be used for sports and recreation in the future and the remainder to be preserved as a conservation area.
Division 6 Councillor Julie Talty said the site and Mt Cotton locality was ideally suited as a sports and recreation precinct particularly for residents in the southern part of the city. “There is scope to connect this area with existing multi-use tracks and trails in nearby conservation areas like the Bayview Conservation Park, which would be welcomed by horse riders, mountain bikers, trail runners and bushwalkers,” Cr Talty said.
Mayor Williams said Council officers would undertake a detailed planning study over the next 12 months, in consultation with all stakeholders including local sporting groups, to determine the best use of the site and provide recommendations for a future program of works.
“Given the size of this site, a multipurpose approach is most likely, with any number of popular ball sports and specialised recreational activities set to benefit,” she said.
Redlands sports and recreation precinct: Part 2 Planning
In Part 2 we will examine the Council’s planning for its “ideally situated” sports and recreation precinct.
Redlands sports and recreation precinct — Planning
Redlands2030 – 17 September 2025
Updated on 24 September 2025 with link to Part 2
What is the time-line between the negotiations for the land and the private purchase by Williams of the property Betty Goleby resided in. Was that land owned by the same people the Heinemann road land was purchased from please?
What preceded Mayor Williams instructing council stakeholders to meet on the property? Did she make the decision on her own to acquire the land?