A COMMUNITY boarding house for 10 ex-prisoners, which tried to open in Victoria Point in March, has opened its doors in Bainbridge Street, Ormiston.
Breaking Through Transitional Services opened at the rental property with five live-in clients in April, without informing Redland City Council.
Division 1 councillor Wendy Boglary said she was surprised to find the service had been operating for seven months, without proper council permission.
Cr Boglary said she hoped the organisation would reconsider its Ormiston location.
"I think it would be better off using the now-vacant Goori House property in Cleveland, which was set up for that type of facility," she said.
Cr Boglary said she would write to nearby residents to inform them of the organisation's plan for Ormiston and would hold community consultations if residents wanted them.
Breaking Through's chief executive, Yvonne Murray, said she did not need council permission to open the service when there were fewer than six clients.
However, council notified the organisation of the need to apply for approval to operate the community facility and accommodation centre on October 19, when there were 10 residents.
Officers met with the service's representatives on November 12 and gave them details of a Material Change of Use application needed to operate their business in Bainbridge Street.
Mrs Murray said she was in the process of lodging the council applications and had also applied to the Indigenous Land Council to use the Goori House premises in Haggup Street, Cleveland.
"The Goori House facility is not available for rent while the premises are still in the process of being fixed up," Mrs Murray said.
"We want to stay in Ormiston and have been operating there successfully for seven months without complaints from anybody.
"Half of the men in the house have convictions for minor crimes and the other five have alcohol and drug problems.
"There is a case manager at the house around the clock and many of the men have a curfew and are not allowed outside after 7pm."
The change of use proposed by Breaking Through Transitional Services will trigger public notification and a sign will be erected outside the premises.
The organisation will also have to apply to change the building classification under the Building Act 1975.
To get approval, the applications will have to meet the Redlands Planning Scheme for businesses operating in a residential area.
Officers said the Bainbridge Street land did not have to be rezoned and the time to process the applications would depend on the quality of information from the organisation and clarification of the specific use of the property.
The services received a $10,000 grant from Redland City Council in December last year.
