Redland City Council acknowledges Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s proposed decision to refuse the application for a development on Toondah Harbour, but is disappointed.
Council has long supported the proposed development and believes the impacts of a refusal would be detrimental to the city, and a missed opportunity for significant private investment in Redlands Coast.
Council will write to the Minister with a statement of ongoing support for the project.
Toondah Harbour was declared a Priority Development Area in June 2013 under the Economic Development Act 2012, which was in direct response to the Queensland Government and Council’s commitment to update Toondah Harbour’s critical transport infrastructure servicing Moreton Bay and Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island).
With Toondah Harbour being the gateway to Minjerribah – a significant tourism destination and home to more than 2000 people – improvements to the Queensland Government-owned port are crucial and have been called for by the community. Investment and renewal are long overdue.
If the Toondah Harbour project was refused, it would mean a $3 billion loss to the Redlands Coast economy, the loss of more than 500 jobs for locals, and the missed opportunity to revitalise an existing working port to acceptable international standards for more than one million passengers and 200,000 vehicle movements that already use Toondah Harbour.
The jobs that would be created by this development, and the dwellings it would provide, are significant when housing and cost of living are daily impacts for many people.
Without the investment through a private-public partnership, these and other opportunities would be lost.
