Ausbuild development considers native wildlife

A development application approved at this week’s Moreton Bay Regional Council meeting has drawn praise from Warner resident Christine West.

Christine, speaking during the community comment section of the meeting ahead of the development’s approval, thanked developer Ausbuild for consulting with the community about its plans to change the use of the Warner Rd land from rural residential.

The change paves the way for the land to be subdivided into 195 lots.

Christine said the collaboration was welcomed by the community.

“The last Ausbuild DA that Council had to vote upon, our community were in opposition to the plans,” she said.

“We discovered our planning scheme is weak, has too many grey areas and no longer relevant to our rapidly growing dynamic region.

“Council planners even acknowledged that they too were powerless to demand best practice in development and that they could not make developers engage with community.”

Working together

Christine said the community refused to accept Council’s decision and lodged an application in the planning and environment court.

“Why would we take this mammoth challenge on board? Because we needed them to listen,” Christine said.

“We weren’t there pushing our own personal agenda, but had a genuine concern for the wildlife in this community and the rapid destruction of the remaining limited habitat.

“We were going to protect the remaining habitat of the Warner koala and Wallum froglets, working with the developer to create a fauna-sensitive urban design and continuing to lobby to show how community collaboration can achieve better design outcomes.”

Christine said the group was heartened by Ausbuild’s willingness to collaborate.

“I would now like to report that we are working together to create a better community (for) new families to move in and enjoy all the benefits that Warner has to offer.

“Through the mediation process we were able to gain a number of added benefits to the development and suggest areas of habitat that needed to be saved.

“I am happy to report that they did engage with community, they listened to our concerns and have incorporated most of our requests in the preferred design.”