VICTORIA Point residents are gutted that the Redland City Council’s attempt to take back a conservation reserve from the state government has been rejected.
In April council backflipped on its 2014 decision to hand over trusteeship of the government-owned land bordering on Town Centre Victoria Point to the state government.
The land is known as Teak Lane reserve or Sycamore Nature Belt.
A spokesperson for the Natural Resources Department said the council request could not be considered as the shopping centre owner had applied to buy the land.
Residents Martin and Maria Sealy, whose land borders on the reserve, said they would put in submissions to try and stop the nature belt being converted into a car park.
Mrs Sealy said the reserve acted as a buffer between their homes and the shopping centre and they had not been consulted about any changes.
“We will do everything we can to stop it from happening,” she said.
Victoria Point councillor Lance Hewlett said for many local residents the state government response was disappointing.
“However, as this is an impact assessable development, there is still opportunity for the community to be heard via submissions,” he said.
Cr Hewlett said these could be made to council until July 27 and officers would then assess the application and submit a report to council.
The department’s spokesperson said council’s 2014 request to give resign as trustee had been accepted.
The department had also noted council’s support for an application by a third party to buy the land.
“The department determined that the most appropriate use of the land was for it to be included into the adjoining retail centre owned by the applicant,” the spokesperson said.
“In deciding this, the department considered council’s decision to resign as trustee, public safety issues and the future use of the land.”
The spokesperson said the request by council to take up trusteeship could not be considered while the applicants continued to comply with the offer conditions.
“The department will notify council should the applicants fail to meet the department’s requirements or decide to withdraw their application,” he said.
The government-owned reserve had been vested to the public as a park in 2002, but trusteeship had remained with the council.
