Redland City shares approximately 48 km of its boundary with the beautiful Moreton Bay. Only about 8km is foreshore parkland and is publicly owned and accessible. Of this 8km, we share 1.5km with significant transport hubs such as Weinam Creek and Toondah Harbour, neither of which are are appealing for a day out with the family or visitors. Compared to other bayside areas like Redcliffe, we have failed to make greater use of our foreshore areas and its natural assets for both lifestyle and tourism opportunities.
Weinam Creek – Redland Bay Foreshore Masterplan
- The current vision for Weinam Creek is to spend $5million dollars ripping up the car park right on the waterfront and re-bitumening it in the same place for less “user pay”car parks. This is not something that I have supported as it neither meets the needs of the Bay Island and Mainland communities nor is it visionary enough to excite anyone to use it for anything other than a transport hub. There are solutions which are either being ignored or require more visionary leadership than currently exists to make it happen. These solutions would require partnerships with private and public entities.
Toondah Harbour
- Further north along Redland's foreshore, we have similar opportunities that have recently been lost. How the Mayor and Council managed to miss this opportunity is yet to be understood? This question needs to be answered. Why did the months of negotiations between CSIRO and Council to purchase this land end without warning? Who fell asleep at the wheel? Were we even driving? The negotiations allowing for a “priority sale” between one government body to another had been happening for a year!! No explanation from anyone on how this happened and where to from here.
It is beginning to feel like a clock going backwards at a Dutch auction on employment and lifestyle opportunities in “Deadlands”. Not only has Redland City lost ANOTHER 100 jobs at this 30 year old facility, it has lost future strategic opportunities to improve the existing public space into something more than apartments next to a bitumen ferry and barge terminal.
The priority to purchase this CSIRO land far outweighs the recent examples of Council's land purchases but unfortunately it seems this has not been treated with the same amount of enthusiasm and vigour.
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| Aerial Photo of CSIRO land at Toondah Harbour Map c/- Google Earth |
I encourage you seek an explanation from all levels of government on why Redlands and its future potential is being ignored and forgotten again!
Karen your assesment of foreshores and NSI and SMBI is accurate. Redlands does need to develope as a destination. We need to draw external [visitor] money into the area. We cannot survive by ourselves. The future of Weinam Creek and Toondah Harbour as car park and transport terminals should be phased out. We have now witnessed this council along with the state government along with tourism ooperators wishing to turn Redlands into an 'eco destination'. barges and water taxi's do more harm than good when the health of our waterways are considered. With the winding down of sand mining NSI needs tourism to survive, talk to business owners on the islands, it seems dragonflies and concrete slabs are more important. Long term, it seems to me we have to revisit the bridge, not popular with the 'locals' but necessary for survival. This will free up all of Toondah and Weinam Creek, to develope for 'family friendly' community based projects so everyone can enjoy our foreshores.
ReplyDeleteKind regards
Bruce Smith
Only Council's lack of foresight and 'green' blindness stand in the way of making both Toondah Harbour & Redland Bay Marina attractive, even with car parking. Shute Harbour is an example which should be used as an example. No bridges!!! I am grateful to you, Karen, for highlighting these matters
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