REDLAND mayor Karen Williams has called for councils to have more control over planning matters.
Cr Williams was speaking to judges, planners, engineers and lawyers at this month's Queensland Environmental Law Association conference on the Gold Coast.
She said councils needed more control over planning for growth or the state government should take full responsibility.
She said there had been a progressive transfer of planning power away from councils to the state since 1997.
Cr Williams said there had been instances in Redland where a decision of council, "taken in the best interests of the local community by those who know the community well, was over-ridden by state interests".
"A recent case involving the controversial removal of trees on a development site is a prime example while residents in the area wanted the trees saved, council could not stop it. We copped the backlash," she said.
A 24-lot housing Fiteni Homes estate at Ormiston, granted approval in September, resulted in the axing of some koala trees.
She said there were cases where the council had wanted to preserve open space in developments but had to pay for it at residential-block prices.
It is understood the council will pay Ausbuild $800,000 for a 6218sq m strip of land running through the middle of the controversial 244-small lot estate on Boundary Road at Thornlands.
"We can't simply demand it, as many may believe, and it is ratepayers who foot the bill," she said.
"There have been times when we have wanted a say on housing lot sizes as developers move to squeeze maximum yield out of their estates.
"But few in the community may understand the state government actually removed our ability to do so."
Another example she gave was the location of a supermarket contrary to the council's position but, under state planning laws, the council could not prevent. The council knocked it back. There was an appeal and the council lost.
Cr Williams said councils should be allowed to manage their communities in line with expectations and needs of residents.
"If the government will not give us the power we need to reflect our communities' wishes, then they should take full responsibility for the planning process," she said.
"In the Redlands, as I am sure is the case in other council areas, those opposed to growth continue to interpret council's inability to influence developments as an unwillingness to do so and, indeed, as blind support for developers.
"The fact a development may be considered undesirable by some is no longer grounds for us to refuse it. To do so invariably means expensive court appeals which increase pressure on the limited resources of councils the size of ours.
"Decisions of the Planning and Environment Court do not always reflect desirable community outcomes but councils cop the flak. This decision-making often is drawn down to how will a judge determine this outcome," she said.
