AFTER more than 15 years of back and forth, Redland City Council has released its land use proposal for southern Thornlands for public consultation.
Future preferred land uses in the Southern Thornlands Potential Future Growth Area - which stretches to the borders of Capalaba, Victoria Point and Mount Cotton - have been determined by council and are now up for public comment.
An investigation of the area was a requirement under the state government's south-east regional plan.
Council's land use intents includes areas for rural residential development, storage and larger home-based industry enterprise activities, a transport precinct, mixed industry and business, intensive horticulture, and an education, training and recreation precinct incorporating Sheldon College and adjoining properties.
The area is bordered by Boundary Road and Duncan Road to the north and Mount Cotton Road to the west. The southern boundary runs behind Sirromet Winery and east past Springacre Road.
The area includes Sheldon College, the theological college, Resource Recoveries and Recycling, and the Parc Thornlands acreage residential project.
Mayor Karen Williams said council had focussed on job creation as part of the planning investigation for the area, after it was directed by the state government to consider the potential future growth area.
It was council's position that land not used for economic uses should only be used for larger rural living blocks and not small lot housing.
The area has a complex planning history between council and the Queensland government, dating back to 2004.
The state previously included part of the area in the urban footprint, which would have seen it used for residential development.
The land was later removed from the urban footprint, a move the state government said at the time was to protect koala habitat.
In 2017, the state government's new south-east regional plan, called ShapingSEQ, identified the region as a potential future growth area, and directed council to conduct investigations to determine appropriate uses of the area by the end of 2019.
According to council, investigations were delayed as it decided to first develop a rural enterprise plan.
In July, council was told by the Planning Minister to take certain actions to fulfil its obligations under ShapingSEQ, including having an investigation report ready by September 25.
Cr Williams said council had resolved to consult the whole community on the proposed use of the area at the same time the plan was sent to the state government.
The views of the community would be used to inform a potential future amendment to the City Plan.
For more information about the Southern Thornlands Potential Future Growth Area, and to have your say on the draft proposals for preferred future land uses, visit the project's page on council's Your Say site.
