SEQRECN
South East Queensland Regional Environment Coordination Network
Media Release
October 27, 2004
A Developers’ Dream - New Draft SEQ Plan fails to protect Urban Bushland, Open Space or Quality of life
The SEQ Regional Plan, released today, gives developers what they want and throws open our few protected areas to more use, while failing to really grapple with the real sustainability issues in the region, according to conservationists.
"The State government should take immediate steps to rectify the Plan’s gaping flaws and really protect the values of South East Queensland," said Michael Petter, Coordinator of the SEQ Regional Environment Coordination Network.
The New SEQ Urban Plan:
- Fails to control urban development to protect regionally significant bushlands in the urban growth area. - This will leave over 22,000 hectares of remnant vegetation at risk of clearing.
- Fails to protect an adequate urban break between Brisbane and the Gold Coast
- Fails to commit to reduce air pollution
- Fails to ensure adequate environmental allocation of water
- Fails to commit to significant reduction in water pollution
- Pushes more people into the western corridor, an area which has air pollution problems and landscape stability issues.
- Leaves Stradbroke Island still unprotected and threatened by mining
- Fails to protect the Wallum Corridor on the Sunshine Coast
- Fails to fully protect the Flinders peak to Karawatha corridor
- Fails to live up to previous principles and policies to protect the biodiversity and cultural resources of the Region’s Aboriginal Traditional Owners
- Allows the expansion of urban development in the Redlands
- Allows for massive urban expansion in northern Beaudesert and western Caboolture
- Pushes housing into salinity affected areas in the Bremer River
- Forces councils to allow extractive industries in floodplains, the Bay and areas like the Koala Coast using the new State Planning Policy for Extractive Industry
- Increases the number of major roads including the duplication the Gateway Bridge and Gateway Arterial - pushes through the Western Brisbane Bypass
- Massively expands existing road corridors mostly through bushland areas to the west and south of Brisbane
- Allows Powerlink to continue carving up bushlands and local communities with transmission lines
- Does make a commitment to modest demand management measures in the future.
- Does slow development in good agricultural land but doesn't prohibit urban development
Click here to browse maps showing native vegetation unprotected in the "Urban Footprint"
BREC Maps of "At Risk" Bushland
These maps where compiled using information from DNRM, OUM, Qld Herbarium, EPA and other public sources.
They show our draft maps of "at risk" bushland, inside the "Urban Foorprint". Bushland "At Risk" is shown coloured black or stippled black. Protected areas such as National Parks, Conservation Reserves, Parkland and endangered ecosystems are shown in shades of green.
For more information: Michael Petter, Coordinator, BREC - 3901-5577 or (02) 6454-4167
Shane Coghill, Indigenous Coordinator, SEQRECN - 3901-5577
Scott Alderson, SCEC - 5441-5747, 0407-290-029
Sheila Davis, Gecko - 5534-1412, 0431-742-954
South East Queensland Regional Environment Coordination Network
PO Box 479, Morningside Qld 4170 Ph: (07) 3901-5577; Fax: (07) 3899-1953
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