PLANS are under way to reduce a flying fox colony in Lawn Terrace, Capalaba.
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Redland City Council decided on Wednesday to ask federal MP Andrew Laming for help in speeding up the application process to get a federal permit to move the 34,000-strong colony.
Mr Laming said bat haters and lovers could have their say about the Capalaba colony until August 1 at www.environment.gov.au.
He said the 10-day public consultation started on Friday, July 18, the day after the submission was made to the Federal Environment Department.
The proposal is to move black and grey-headed flying foxes from residential properties by removing vegetation.
Deputy mayor Alan Beard, whose Division 8 covers Lawn Terrace, called on council to clear about 10m of bush behind houses where the colony was living.
Cr Beard said residents could not sleep because of the noise and smell and faecal droppings from the colony was a health hazard.
“This report does not seek to disperse them but reduce the number by reducing the vegetation,” Cr Beard said.
“Hopefully, it will nudge some of them to leave the site and move to another location ... and return to the Black Swamp, even though there is road work there at the moment or to Tarradarrapin wetlands which is the best location.”
Council asked for permit from the federal Environment Department under the Biodiversity Act 1999.
An officer told Wednesday's full council meeting there was a slim two-week window of time to undertake the work, while female bats were not pregnant.
He said if council failed to get a permit in the next two weeks, action would be delayed until May as state and federal codes of conduct prohibited works around colonies while females were pregnant.
“If council does start to undertake the works in the next couple of weeks and heavily pregnant females or young are found to be present, the works will have to cease.”
Under the conditions of the federal permit, a 10-day consultation period must be held, which could leave the council out of time.
Lawn Terrace resident Lyn Sloane said she was delighted Capalaba MP Steve Davies had pushed for the action but warned council it was imperative to act within the two-week window.
“There has been no other contact from the council and residents still don’t know what is happening whether 10m or 20m or all the bush will be cleared,” she said.
If council gets permission to clear the bush, the work will be undertaken at night.
Bat Conservation and Rescue Queensland founding member Louise Saunders said there was evidence that clearing the ground scrub under a federal permit can move colonies.
"Dispersals are mostly ineffective but clearing the vegetation has been known to be effective," Ms Saunders said.
"Council needs to be aware we have no way of determining where the colony will move to so we have to maintain the areas where they do roost in places such as Tarradarrapin Wetlands."
No clearing can occur without a federal permit as grey-headed flying foxes in that area are listed as vulnerable.
Councillors Craig Ogilvie, Lance Hewlett, Murray Elliott and Paul Bishop voted against the bid to clear the site.
Cr Ogilvie said he could not support spending $37,000 on a plan that officers said may not work .
"And if it does work, it will be moving the problem somewhere else - hopefully not in my area."
Cr Beard will write to residents to inform them of plans.
