SIMO calls for City Plan moratorium

SIMO is asking for a moratorium on the proposed new Redland City Plan – it’s not ‘fit for purpose’.
The needs of North Stradbroke Island need to be properly addressed. Current standards, including the local plan for Point Lookout, should be retained.
The use of dwellings as ‘holiday rentals’ is a big problem. Action through the planning scheme was promised in 2005 but has not occurred. In addition, the affordability and availability of housing for lower income residents and for workers has not been addressed. Housing affordability and non-regulated holiday rentals are undermining the very tourist industry that the proposed Plan says will expand.
There are questions about the accuracy of the environmental and heritage overlays; the conservation zone and heritage zone codes do not apply to development outside these zones but which may impact upon them.
The Plan has no actions to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage and the provisions for heritage places are substantially less than in the current planning scheme.
The Plan should also be more be visionary and written for a post-mining Island. A positive plan can help to build strong relations between the communities, give meaning to Native Title and build social and environmental sustainability.

SIMO submission on the Draft City Plan

SIMO submitted a comprehensive submission to the Draft City Plan. The main points of SIMO’s submission are:

• The strategic framework of the Plan is inadequate; it requires a thorough re-write particularly as it applies to Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island.
• The Plan will be deleterious to the Island and much more consideration needs to be given to the tourist carrying capacity and the risk of increased water extraction.
• The plan gives little attention to the opportunities for the entire Island community arising from the 2011 native title settlement and the prospective cessation of environmentally exploitative mineral sand mining.
• The accuracy of the environmental and heritage overlays are in question.
• The conservation zone and heritage zone codes do not apply to development outside these zones but which may impact upon them. This is especially important with the wetland RAMSAR sites and to prevent incursion of feral animals and weeds into natural areas.
• The plan provides no protection to Aboriginal cultural heritage; the protection of non-Aboriginal heritage places is inferior to that in the current planning scheme.
• The proposed plan does not include the Development Control Plan for Point Lookout with severe consequences for the visual amenity and characteristics.
• The DCP for Point Lookout should be included in full as a ‘Local Plan’ within the planning scheme and local development control plans should be prepared for Amity and Dunwich.
• In 2005, Council planners promised action on regulating the amenity impacts (noise, rubbish, traffic etc) of the use of dwellings in the residential zone as ‘holiday homes’. No action was taken; the proposed plan is also silent about this.
• The issue of affordable housing is critical; the proposed plan is silent about this.

SIMO calls for a moratorium on City Plan

In our considered view, there should be a moratorium on this planning process to facilitate dialogue between Council, the Aboriginal community (and their representative body QYAC) and with non-Aboriginal residents, market and civil society organisations.
This should include cooperation between Council and community to find the best way to achieve a sustainable future. This could be a prototype for Queensland about rehabilitating fauna and flora habitats, giving practical meaning to biodiversity, achieving carbon neutrality and community-based water, waste and power systems.
A moratorium on the planning process will help communities across the Redlands to become more effectively engaged in planning for their futures. Then we might get a City Plan that’s fit for purpose.

Howard Guille

 SIMO Secretary

More information about SIMO is available in:

SIMO – caring for North Stradbroke Island