Development pressures on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands are growing, and we need planning, infrastructure and environmental outcomes that reflect the unique character of our island home.
Many residents have raised concerns with me about the way some development is occurring across the Southern Moreton Bay Islands. These concerns are understandable. The islands are valued for their natural environment, relaxed lifestyle, trees, wildlife corridors and distinctive island character, and many people are worried about the impact of clearing, hard surfaces and suburban-style development on small island lots.
Why this issue is complex
It is tempting to describe poor development outcomes simply as the work of “cowboys”, but the reality is more complex. The outcomes we are seeing are often the result of several factors working together:
- Many smaller developers choose total clearing followed by slab construction because it is often the simplest and lowest-cost option.
- Some new residents move to the islands because of affordability and seek a more conventional suburban housing style, with fewer trees, more lawn and larger areas of hard surfaces such as driveways and concrete.
- Current alignment and setback requirements, combined with the need to accommodate septic systems, can make it difficult to position a house in a way that preserves significant trees, allows for passive cooling and still meets regulatory requirements.
Much of this framework is established through Queensland planning and building regulations. Where applications comply with those requirements, Council has limited grounds to refuse them and risks costly appeals if it attempts to do so without sufficient justification.
Planning rules can produce unintended outcomes
These are issues I have been strongly advocating on throughout my term as Councillor, and prior to coming to Council. My views are informed by what I am seeing on the ground across the islands, as well as my previous planning experience and understanding of how regulatory settings can sometimes produce unintended consequences.
For many years, I have argued that the current combination of alignment requirements, setback standards, onsite wastewater requirements and building regulations does not always deliver the best environmental outcomes on island lots. In some cases, the rules can inadvertently encourage greater vegetation loss, larger areas of site disturbance and reduced opportunities to retain mature habitat trees.
Putting the SMBI as the first stage of the City Plan review
That is why I have consistently pushed for the SMBI to be brought to the forefront of the City Plan review process and why I have raised these matters repeatedly with Council officers. In my view, SMBI planning must be dealt with as a priority and at the front end of the City Plan review. If we do not get the planning settings right early, it may be too late to prevent further loss of island character, vegetation and environmental values as development pressure continues to build. We need planning and development controls that better reflect the unique characteristics of the islands and provide greater flexibility to balance environmental protection, housing affordability and reasonable development outcomes.
To help ensure these issues are properly understood, I have also arranged for Councillors and members of the Executive Leadership Team to visit the islands, see these challenges firsthand and meet with key local stakeholders. This is a significant step and, to my knowledge, the first time this has been achieved in this way. It certainly has not occurred during my time living on the islands, despite my advocacy for this type of direct engagement dating back to my time as President of the SMBI Chamber of Commerce. I believe decisions affecting the SMBI must be informed by direct experience and local knowledge, rather than simply reports and statistics.
Infrastructure must be part of the conversation
Planning reform cannot be considered in isolation from infrastructure. I have written in detail before about the challenges of unfunded development and long-standing infrastructure backlogs, particularly where growth occurs without a clear, funded plan to deliver the roads, drainage, transport, community facilities and other services needed to support it. In parallel with the City Plan review process, I have been advocating for Council to identify the full extent of the SMBI infrastructure backlog, quantify the cost of addressing it, and establish a prioritised long-term infrastructure investment plan.
In the 53 years that the SMBI has been part of Redlands, there has never been a consolidated infrastructure needs assessment, costing and prioritisation process to produce a clear plan for the islands. As growth continues, we need a proper understanding of the infrastructure deficits that exist today, what additional infrastructure will be required in the future, what it will cost to deliver, and how those investments should be prioritised. Without that information, it is difficult for Council, the community and other levels of government to make informed decisions about future development, infrastructure funding and service delivery.
What I am advocating for
Some of the practical changes I am continuing to advocate for include:
- Bringing SMBI forward in the City Plan process.
- Greater flexibility in alignments and setbacks to improve opportunities for tree retention while still accommodating onsite wastewater systems.
- The introduction of visual amenity and landscaping guidelines to improve streetscapes and encourage vegetation retention and planting.
- Advocacy to the Queensland Government for greater flexibility in wastewater and building guidelines where environmental outcomes can be improved.
- Strategic acquisition of environmentally significant lots and habitat areas, funded where possible through the sale of suitable Council land to adjoining owners, subject to title amalgamation and restrictions on future development.
- Development of an infrastructure investment plan.
While many residents choose to live on the islands because of the natural environment and lifestyle, development pressures are increasing as affordability attracts more people to the area. The challenge is finding ways to accommodate growth while retaining the character, vegetation and environmental values that make the islands unique.
To achieve meaningful change, we also need to identify funding sources that minimise costs to Council and ratepayers. State and Federal governments may have an important role to play in funding environmental protection and land acquisition initiatives, although their immediate focus is often on addressing existing infrastructure backlogs.
Community knowledge matters
Resident knowledge and lived experience are invaluable in helping to identify both planning issues and infrastructure priorities. I encourage residents to continue sharing their observations, concerns and ideas because local knowledge often identifies issues and opportunities that can be overlooked in broader strategic planning processes.
Working together for better outcomes
Achieving better development outcomes for the SMBI will require a partnership between the community, Council and other levels of government. The goal should be practical planning reforms, better infrastructure planning and stronger protection of the environmental values that make the islands special.
As the City Plan review progresses, I will continue working with residents to develop practical recommendations that improve planning outcomes, protect island character and address the significant infrastructure challenges and investment needs we face.
If you want to be part of this process, or to provide feedback and suggestions, please email me at Shane.rendalls@redland.qld.gov.au