Redland City Council backs investigation into transforming rural farmland into industrial and tourism hub
A mysterious development plan involving two chicken farms and a winery on Brisbane’s bayside has been given in-principle support by council after a tense meeting, paving the way for the transformation of rural farmland.
Redland City Council passed a six-to-three motion on Wednesday asking the province to explore adding a large tract of land on Cotton Mountain to its urban footprint, as long as it’s not for homes.
Plans include an industrial park, a neighborhood center and a five-star hotel at a local winery.
Speaking about the motion, Councilor Rowanne McKenzie said the council needed more land for industry, with more than half of Redlanders leaving the council area to work every day.
Redlands has some of the highest council rates in Queensland and McKenzie said more jobs were needed to diversify the city’s rate base.
“Around 90 per cent of the council’s rate income is generated from residential properties, creating a huge dependence on households to fund essential services and infrastructure,” he said.
At a heated meeting in council chambers, long-term councilor Wendy Boglary opposed the motion, saying little was publicly known about the landowners’ intentions for the area.
“I have serious concerns about the timing and lack of updated planning evidence to justify this motion,” Boglary said, noting that tourism, recreation and some businesses can already apply to operate on rural land.
The proposal required developers to pay for any infrastructure, including sewers.
As evidence of how plans can change over time, Boglary cited Shoreline, a suburban project in Redland Bay that was approved under questionable circumstances in 2013 with no concrete plan for a sewer connection.
“I don’t trust that this one-stop point will carry any weight to prevent change in this Mount Cotton area,” he said.
The landowners involved are wealthy Redlanders: the Morris family, owner of Sirromet Winery, developer and local newspaper owner Warren Pryde, and the Benfer and Elks families, chicken farm operators.
Stephen Williams, known for his role in the development of West End’s West Village, represents the landowners.
During the meeting, acting mayor Julie Talty said the council was aware that advocates for developing the area were asking the state government to declare it a priority development area and for the council to bypass planning laws.
PDAs are controversial in Redlands; one was imposed by the state in the Southern Thornlands area north of Cotton Mountain, while two other PDAs at Toondah Harbor and Weinam Creek were halted.
Southern Thornlands was originally planned for industrial development, but will now consist largely of small housing.
Councilor Lance Hewlett, who also spoke against the proposal, said it would be prudent to wait to see how many jobs could be created in the Southern Thornlands.
“The state is basically like sharks right now, just looking for land development for homes,” he said.
Following the vote, Williams said he hoped Sirromet’s inclusion in the urban footprint would mean it could build a luxury hotel, but that it was excluded from the current development plan.
Sirromet manager Nadine Delahunty said the winery was also looking at how “underutilised parts of the property” could be used while “protecting our much-loved natural environment”.
Development on the land could create an estimated 7,000 jobs, Williams said.
“Incorporating the area into the urban footprint will create the planning framework needed for new opportunities and create infrastructure to support development, such as transport and wastewater solutions,” he said.
The state government is currently reviewing the South East Queensland Regional Plan; Applications are due in July and the draft plan will be completed before the end of the year.
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