Herald 20221101

Defeated environment motion disappoints
Environmentally concerned
residents have expressed
their disappointment at the
Toowoomba Regional Council
voting against a proposed motion
to discuss environmental
protection.
TRC Planning and Development
Committee Portfolio Leader
Bill Cahill proposed a motion
at the council meeting on Tuesday,
October 25.
The proposed motion had
two components, one where the
council would hold an information
session in November on
available mapping showing area
of environmental significance.
The second part would see the
council hold another meeting in
January 2023 to discuss ways
environmental values could be
protected through the proposed
new Toowoomba Region Planning
Scheme.
Cr Cahill said the Toowoomba
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Council plans to aid housing supply
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Toowoomba Regional Council’s
goal to reduce regulations
to aid new housing supply has
taken a further step.
After submitting plans for
a Temporary Local Planning
Instrument 01/2022 - Housing
Assistance Measures to the
State Government, Planning and
Development Committee Chair
Cr Megan O’Hara Sullivan said
the council had further refined
the document to address matters
raised by the State Government.
“We have been in discussions
with representatives of the
development industry for a long
time now about what measures
the council can take to simplify
and speed up the approval
process for new housing across
the Region,” Cr O’Hara Sullivan
said.
“These discussions have
centred on how we can reduce
the level of regulation
applying to the creation of
additional housing in greenfield
development areas on the fringe
of Toowoomba City, as well
as stormwater solutions for
sites in existing urban areas
making them more feasible
for development, to assist
in addressing housing stress
currently being experienced
within the Toowoomba Region.
“While the longer term
plan will be to progress a
new Planning Scheme for the
Toowoomba Region, with this
piece of work expected to be
ready by 2025, we know we
Region had recently seen loss of
green infrastructure to make way
for urban development in Highfields.
“The Highfields community
has made it clear to the council
that this loss is unacceptable
and demanded that measures be
taken to prevent such loss from
occurring again,” he said.
“I brought it forward to highlight
not just to staff but to the
community that this is of significance
and the timing of the new
planning scheme is approved in
2025 is a considerable length of
time.”
Opposition to Cr Cahill’s proposal
argued that the motion was
redundant with one information
session already scheduled for
the following day and another
in January to discuss the same
matter.
Finance and Business Strategy
Committee Portfolio Leader
Bypass eastbound closure
The eastbound lanes of the Toowoomba Bypass, between the Warrego
West interchange at Charlton and the Warrego East interchange
at Helidon Spa, are closed to through traffic for at least until this
coming weekend.
The eastbound lanes between Boundary Street interchange and
the Mort Street interchange will remain open.
The westbound lanes of the Toowoomba Bypass are not affected
and remain open to all traffic.
The closure is a safety precaution due to movements detected in a
cutting east of the New England Highway.
Geotechnical consultants have been monitoring the cutting since
last year’s wet season to enable a redesign and reconstruction of the
cut.
After heavy rain this month, further movement was detected.
We are anticipating further rainfall, and there is a risk material
may fall onto the eastbound lanes.
All eastbound traffic on the Toowoomba Bypass will be required
to exit at the Mort Street interchange at Harlaxton.
Eastbound traffic on the Warrego Highway will not be able to
enter the Toowoomba Bypass at the Warrego West interchange at
Charlton.
Northbound traffic on the Gore Highway will be directed off the
Toowoomba Bypass at the Warrego West interchange at Charlton to
detour through Toowoomba.
Works to repair the cutting are scheduled to start early next year.
QLDTraffic will be kept up to date with traffic impacts and changes
on the Toowoomba Bypass at the cutting.
need to do something sooner
than this which is why we’ve
progressed with a TLPI.
“We’ve listened to the concerns
of our community and have
proposed the TLPI as we believe
it could provide shorter-term
assistance for the development
industry to provide residential
lots and housing products in a
shorter time frame.
“This move will create a
simpler, shorter and lower-risk
process for the development of
land with access to existing or
planned infrastructure.
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“The proposed TLPI was sent
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to the State Government with the
council having since received
feedback on adjustments needed
to meet their requirements.
“The changes have now been
made to address the matters
raised by the State Government
with the proposed TLPI now in
the process of being sent through
for Ministerial approval.
“Following the review
we’re hoping to have a swift
turnaround so these changes
can be implemented for our
community.”
• Cr O'HARA SULLIVAN - Housing stress
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Cr Kerry Shine said with the arrangements
made with the council’s
information sessions, the
aim had already been achieved.
The motion was lost six to
five.
Bird Life Southern
Queensland Darling Downs convenor
Scot McPhie said it was
disappointing to hear the council
vote the motion down at last
week’s meeting.
“The council has deferred
from any tree protection laws
until after the next election, so in
my opinion they have abrogated
their responsibility to do something
about it now,” he said.
“Two-and-a-half-years is too
long for the tree protections that
we need.”
Planning and Development
Committee Chair Cr Megan
O’Hara Sullivan said the council
wanted to do policy around this
issue thoroughly.
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“We were scheduled to have a
meeting the next day to be presented
with the mapping so we
know what we’re dealing with.
"In January we’re taking that
to a policy level and working out
how we deal with it as a policy.
“The staff had said to us that if
we try to do things quickly and
on the run, we wouldn’t have
something very thorough.”
Mr McPhie said that the council
had ensured implementing
tree protection laws was going
to be an election issue at the next
local government election.
“We’re certainly going to
keep up the fight to see that we
get adequate tree protection laws
in Toowoomba.” - Sean White
• Darling Downs Environment
Council president Jenny Withnall
with Bird Life Southern
Queensland Darling Downs
convenor Scot McPhie
Qld’s top bowler
West Toowoomba bowler Julia Brownie who won the prestigious
State champion of champion singles in Mackay
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