A PROTEST group is petitioning Redland City Council to wind up its investment corporation in a move they say would stop public land being sold behind closed doors.
Redlands2030 secretary Chris Walker said council should shut down its operating companies that were involved in property deals.
He said council’s decisions regarding a number of property sales were not transparent and this meant that ratepayers did not know which entities were invited to do deals or the value of sales.
- Read more: No grounds to keep Toondah documents secret, council told
- Read more: Walkers to submit an appeal against Information Commission decision
- Read more: Redland City council sells CBD car park despite complaints about insufficient parking
- Read more: Objection over Cleveland car park sell-off
- Read more: Five-level aged care facility planned for Cleveland's Doig Street
“Examples include the sale of the Wynyard Sreet car park to LJ Hooker and a deal involving the Doig Street car park, which has been proposed as the site for an aged care facility,” Mr Walker said.
Council set up Redland Investment Corporation in 2014 to identify alternative revenue sources and help council get better returns on property sales and buy strategically-placed land.
RIC also drafts business proposals and obtains development and environmental permits and business licences for its surplus land before it is sold.
A Redland City Council spokesperson said RIC had sold the Wynyard Street car park to LJ Hooker and the Doig Street car park for prices that were above independent valuations.
Both were sold by council to help revitalise Cleveland’s CBD, with the sale prices not revealed for either.
“The properties were presented to the open market and all applicants had an equal opportunity to make offers on the properties,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said accountability and transparency were assured as council needed to approve any properties transferred to RIC.
RIC was audited every year by the Auditor-General of Queensland and operated under the same legislative framework as council.
Council would soon consider its own review of RIC’s governance arrangements.
“Council also regularly reviews RIC’s governance arrangements to ensure they are best practice and has already commenced a review of its governance arrangements… ,” the spokesperson said.
RIC has paid $2 million in dividends to the ratepayers of Redlands since it was formed, which provided an alternative revenue stream for council, the spokesperson said.
In August the Crime and Corruption Commission recommended the state government investigate whether council-owned companies were needed.
