A GROUP of Stradbroke Island businesses and residents have called for a meeting with the state government to discuss their concerns about billion-dollar plans to overhaul the Cleveland ferry terminal.
The group, headed by chamber of commerce president Colin Battersby and Redland City councillor Craig Ogilvie, is awaiting a reply from Minister for Economic development Anthony Lynham.
The meeting was requested after Redland City Council gave council chief executive Bill Lyon the power to sign development management and infrastructure agreements based on Walker Group's master plan.
Cr Ogilvie said the group wanted to explain to the minister how the developer's proposed master plan lacked adequate parking and would jeopardise water taxi timetables and frequencies.
Developers claimed the plan would increase parking but Cr Ogilvie said it would make the situation worse and result in paid parking for residents and visitors.
He said a petition, signed by 1500, called on the state government to intervene and ensure parking at the terminal was free and to halt the master plan until a proper parking study was done.
"Council has consented to spend about $17 million on a multi-deck car park that will only increase the amount of parking available to ferry users to 1090 spaces," he said.
"Unfortunately, they didn't say whether the parking would be free and the vote is not binding on future councils - which at least recognises that more parking is needed.
"One major concern is that with the proposed 10,000 people moving into the area along with the touted 500 jobs a year at the terminal, there is no way near enough car parking."
He said over the Christmas break, several counts conducted at the terminal found about 1150 cars were parking in the precinct.
Stradbroke Flyer Gold Cats director John Groom, who has operated at the terminal for 30 years, said the Walker designs he had seen failed to provide ferry refuelling bays, sewerage pumping sites and sheltered boat ramp walkways.
Mr Groom said he also had serious concerns about the proposed barge and ferry route, which would add an extra six to 10 minutes to a journey, resulting in fewer services.
"We are one of two operastors at the ferry terminal and have not been consulted by the Walker Group at all," Mr Groom said.
"Their designs at the very best are amateurish and are worse than what we have at the moment and will jeopardise our timetabling and commercial and private boats will have to share the same entrance into the marina."
On Christmas Eve, council authorised a $116million infrastructure deal with Walker Group at a closed-door meeting.
Details of the deal were not released but mayor Karen Williams said it would provide world-class community facilities not otherwise affordable at no cost to ratepayers.
“Cr Ogilvie and his opposition team voted against the proposal to provide an extra 500 public carparks at no extra cost to the ratepayer,” Cr Williams said.
“It is also worth commenting that council's stated number of car parks has always been consistent, unlike the numerous claims made by Cr Ogilvie in various forums.
“There are no State Government funds allocated to ongoing maintenance of the channel which has historically seen the quoted operator require access to Council's public pontoon in Raby Bay Harbour on low tides, adding a great deal more time to the trip than the 6-10 minutes quoted in the story.
“There is absolutely no factual substantiation to the claim of an increase in travel time.
“This proposal creates the opportunity for a world class marine transport hub for a number of first class ferry and barge operators who will be qualified in delivering and collaborating on timetables that add to the visitor experience as opposed to a humpy demountable and the old Expo 88 tower overseeing a paved paradise parking lot as the only sad welcome to Moreton Bay and North Stradbroke Island,” she said.
The package included dredging the marine Fison channel and swing basin to create more than 40 hectares of reclaimed land, overhauling the ferry terminal and providing car parking, which the developer claims would amount to a minimum of 1449.
A bus interchange, a waterfront plaza, boardwalks and improvements to nearby GJ Walter Park as well as a water play area and boat and watercraft launching facilities would also be included.
Some businesses on the island and at Toondah Harbour were not convinced the package would enhance Stradbroke Island's economy.
Stradbroke Chamber of Commerce president Colin Battersby said the future of businesses on the island depended on making transport efficient and cheap.
He was backed up by Stradbroke Island Management Organisation secretary Howard Guille who said a looming parking crisis was inevitable under the current master plan.
The deal has also risen as an election issue and is being questioned by mayoral candidate Greg Underwood.
Mr Underwood, a former general manager with the council, said voters were angry about the premature and irresponsible commitment to the "secret infrastructure deal", struck in the final days of the council administration.
"I don’t support the proposed Toondah Harbour development in its current form. Suddenly it’s more about the apartments, than the transport hub. We discover that as many as 9000 residents will be crammed into the multiple high-rise towers to be built on large stretches of reclaimed land in sensitive Moreton Bay.
"It is hoped that the current State Government will consider changing its approach considering the many concerns the community continues to raise about the development.”
