A DRAFT decision by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to refuse a Redlands development has been made, with a final decision to be made on April 23.
On Tuesday, Ms Plibersek proposed refusing a development application on Toondah Harbour, that would have created a mixed use residential, commercial, retail and tourism precinct.
Construction company, Walker Corporation framed the project as a harbourside precinct with open parklands, a lagoon and both cycling and heritage trails that would have also brought upgrades to the mainland ferry facilities.
Construction by Walker Corporation was to occur through dredging the wetland, with the sediment used for reclamation over a 15-to-20-year period.
It was reported that the Environment Minister found removing 58.7 hectares from the internationally protected wetland was an unacceptable impact, therefore denying the project in a draft ruling.
Ms Plibersek has invited comment and feedback before making her final decision by April 23.
“These wetlands are rare, unique and important to prevent the extinction of animals like the eastern curlew and loggerhead turtle,” she said.
“My proposed decision says that we can’t destroy portions of this internationally important wetland.
“I am making my proposed decision public so that the tens of thousands of people who have made public comments on this have a chance to respond.
“I want to hear from them before I make my final decision.”
More than 26,000 comments were made on the development project when its draft environmental impact statement was released to the public.
A statement from Walker Corporation spokesperson Dolan Hayes said they respect the Minister’s proposed decision notice and: “will now take the time to carefully review and understand the reasons behind it”.
“This proposal by the proponents, the Queensland State Government, Redlands City Council and Waker Corporation to deliver critical housing, public domain and State infrastructure requires a complex environmental process,” he said.
“We will then look to work with our consultant team and join venture partners to see what opportunities might exist to mitigate or ameliorate the environmental concerns that the Department has raised to ensure we provide the best opportunity for this important project to proceed to deliver housing, jobs, and a new State Government infrastructure whilst ensuring world’s best environmental practice.”
Activist groups that have opposed the development have welcomed Ms Plibersek’s announcement.
The Australian Conservation Fund Chief Executive Kelly O’Shanassy said the plan would have destroyed the irreplaceable feeding grounds for migratory birds and damaged spaces that are home to koalas and other wildlife.
“ACF, BirdLife Australia and the Toondah Alliance, along with local groups, have long campaigned to stop this bid to replace a living ecosystem with a concrete wasteland,” she said.
It has been reported that the development would have breached the Ramsar convention on wetlands, signed by Australia alongside more than 170 countries.
