Wish list for Federal pork barrel promises and choosing a Deputy Mayor

Some items on the community’s wish list for use of the Birkdale precinct

A Council wish list for Federal election pork barrel promises, appointment of a Deputy Mayor for the next two years and two development applications are scheduled for discussion at the next Redland City Council meeting.

Three confidential items are listed for discussion as well as a notice of motion about SMBI septic systems, from Cr Julie Talty

Federal Election pork barrel wish list

An extravagant pre-election wishlist will be discussed at Redland City Council’s meeting on Wednesday.

The first item on the Council’s wishlist is funding for development of the Birkdale precinct including a proposed white water venue for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. While no cost estimate has been made publicly available, in early 2021 the Irish Government canned plans for a white water facility in Dublin estimated to cost €25 million (about A$37 million).

For the Birkdale precinct there are other calls on public funds including heritage listed properties (Willard’s Farm and the World War II Radio Receiving station) which are still inaccessible to the community.

Also on the Council’s wish list is funding for its planned but mostly unfunded sports and recreation complex at Heinneman Road in Mount Cotton.

Site works could cost $200 million to complete according to a recent Redland Community News story (paywalled).

The Council’s wish list includes two transport infrastructure items that appear regularly when other levels of government have elections:

• Duplicating the rail line from Manly and Cleveland, estimated in 2016 to cost $180 million; and
• Building the Eastern Busway to Capalaba, estimated in 2016 to cost $1.7 billion.

The draft 2022 Federal Election Advocacy (wish list) document is item 13.3 on the meeting agenda.

Birkdale precinct draft master plan

A draft master plan for the Birkdale precinct has been scheduled for consideration at a Special Council Meeting on 28 April 2022.

If this document is approved the Council says it will undertake five weeks of public consultation from 30 April 2022.

The Council says its “community consultation campaign” will include two “public information days” scheduled for Friday 13 May and Saturday 14 May.

Has the Council reviewed what the community said it wanted for this site during the 2021 community consultation process?

Deputy Mayor for next two years

Councillors will discuss the appointment of a Deputy Mayor for the final two years of the current term of Council. Cr Julie Talty has been the Deputy Mayor for the first two years of the current term.

The Deputy Mayor gets a pay increase of $16,980 (from 1 July 2022) and will normally chair Council meetings if the Mayor is unavailable for any reason.

A recent Redlands2030 online poll of approval/disapproval ratings for Redland City Division Councillors and Mayor yielded the following percentage approval results.

This poll was an opt in poll. Its results only reflect the views of 216 people who participated as at 18 April 2022. Poll questions were published in Mid term assessment of Redland City’s Mayor and Councillors.

Wellington Point block splitter

Council officers recommend that an application to split a 810m2 block into two 405m2 blocks be refused.

The site at 20 Rye Street Wellington Point is in an area zoned for medium density development.

The officers’ report (Item 14.2) recommends the application (RAL21/0125) be refused. They say that the proposal would “minimise opportunities for medium density living in the MDR zone and will not provide or add to the range of dwelling sizes available in the neighbourhood area”.

Heinemann Road truck depot

An application for a truck depot at 64 Heinemann Road in Mount Cotton MCU21/0057 will be considered on Wednesday.

The officers’ report (Item 14.1) recommends that the application be approved with conditions.

This truck depot site is a few hundred metres north of the Council’s planned sports and recreation site at 277-293 Heinemann Road, a fact not mentioned in the officers’ report.

SMBI building requirements

Cr Julie Talty will be moving a motion about the Council’s policy on wastewater treatment for homes on the southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) which use septic systems.

It’s usual practice for local councils to use the number of bedrooms to determine the minimum size of a dwelling’s septic system.

This can be circumvented by building houses with few bedrooms but with other rooms such as a sewing room, media room and other rooms that are stated to be not bedrooms.

Three confidential items

Three confidential items have been included in the agenda for this general meeting:

19.1 Redland Investment Corporation Financial Report for Period Ending 31 December 2021

In its overview the Council says: “To provide Council with Redland Investment Corporation’s management accounts period ending 31 December 2021”.

It is concerning that this under performing Council owned entity has not yet been closed down.

19.2 Extension to Lease – Cleveland

“To obtain approval to negotiate a further lease on expiry of the current agreement which expires
on 30 June 2022, in accordance with the requirement of the Local Government Regulation 2012.”

19.3 Purchase and Disposal of Land on Russell Island

“To investigate the potential acquisition and disposal of land on Russell Island by way of a land
exchange.”

Court appeals against Redland City Council

Once upon a time, a report on court appeals was included in the agenda for Council meetings. But during this term of Council the practice has been changed. The report is still prepared by officers but you have to go hunting for it on the Council’s website, here.

No move on heritage protection

Changing the town plan to add about 40 properties to the Local Heritage Register, which councillors failed to deal with at the meeting in August 2021, is not listed for discussion at this meeting.

These historic properties are currently covered by Temporary Local Planning Instrument TLPI 01/21 but this is due to expire on 17 March 2023.

About Redland City Council meetings

This Redland City Council meeting is closed to the public except for public participation, due to the Council’s interpretation of the State Government’s COVID public health directions and Local Government Regulations. The Council website says:

“Statutory Meetings of Council will remain closed to the public, with the exception of Public Participation.

Any members of the public wishing to address Council will need to apply via the Public Participation form on Council’s website.”

The ‘public’ version of the 20 April 2022 meeting agenda (including officers’ reports for non-confidential items) can be accessed on the Council website.

Meeting will be video recorded except confidential items

The meeting will be video recorded (except for confidential discussions) and this video recording will be posted to the meeting video recordings webpage on the Council website. Videos usually appear within 48 hours of the meeting.

The Council usually publishes the meeting minutes about one week after the meeting. Meeting minutes include the wording of all resolutions adopted and details of which councillors voted for or against every resolution – including the confidential items.

When published, the minutes will appear on the Council’s website.

Here’s the agenda contents for Redland City Council’s meeting on 20 April 2022:

Redlands2030 – 18 April 2022