Council defends golf course plan

BRISBANE City Council has defended claims a Minnippi Parklands golf course development would contradict council's environmental promise to maintain wetlands.

Environmentalist and Rivermouth Action Group chairman Barry Wilson said a proposed golf course would also contradict the 1991 Bulimba Creek Flood study, with development set for high conservation wetlands.

He said council had failed to provide adequate public consultation about the area's future.

Council community policy, committee chairman David Hinchliffe said development applications were still being lodged.

"It hasn't been determined what is going on the site," he said. "Mr Wilson is boxing at shadows."

Mr Hinchliffe said a full flood, soil and environmental study would precede any development.

"The whole of that site is not a wetlands site and if he thinks it is, he is obviously laboring under a misapprehension," he said. "We have just gone out to tender to see what interest there is."

In response to claims about lack of consultation, Mr Hinchliffe said a management plan for the site which included details of a possible golf course had been available for about five years.

Mr Wilson said Mr Hinchliffe was flogging a dead horse hitched to a cart with no wheels.

"A substantial amount of the low land area is wetlands, as highlighted in council's own documents on wetlands," he said.

"How can they have a Management Plan, then at the time they had no knowledge of acid sulphate soils, no knowledge of squirrel glider colonies or habitat."

South East Advertiser 31 March 1999

Dear Editor

Square pegs

Your article "Council defends golf course plan" (SEA 31/3/99) says it all.

The Brisbane City Council developed a Management Plan without any Environmental Study five years ago.

Now they appear to be persistently trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

As for my "shadow boxing" , I'm just keeping in training to biff them on the nose should they continue with their environmental vandalism.

What Cr. Hinchliffe did not tell the residents was that the BCC employed a consultant to arrive at the answer they wanted.

The Council selectively appointed five community representatives, all with different barrows to push, to a committee of eight people including two councillors and a representative of the Queensland Golf Union to make decisions without any environment al study on the site first.

The BCC has not a copy of the many objections to this proposed development as they were all kept by the consultant.

The BCC has no record of the many objections or their contents including mine. How can this happen you ask?

Administration by stealth.

Barry Wilson. Morningside.

published South East Advertiser.

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