Fears for koalas in John Bray Park upgrade

Bray Park residents fear plans to upgrade John Bray Park will destroy important koala habitat and put other native wildlife at risk and want Moreton Bay City Council to alter its playground concept plan before work begins next month.

They say while Council approved the upgrade in 2021, many people – including new residents in almost 60 homes and townhouses opposite – were unaware of the plans until they received a letter late last month from Councillor Jim Moloney that work was due to start.

The residents have scheduled a meeting with Cr Moloney on Friday, September 13 in a bid to have the plans changed and amenities installed in existing open space.

But a Council spokesperson says the proposal to develop a new district play and picnic park has been in City of Moreton Bay’s Local Government Infrastructure Plan for more than 20 years and the open space would remain, with toilets, barbecues and play equipment installed in space that would be cleared.

“Open kick and throw spaces are important for the health and wellbeing of our community,” the spokesperson says.

“There is a lack of large unstructured activity spaces in the wider Four Mile Creek corridor.

“The development of the park … has reduced the scale and intensity of development that could have otherwise occurred.

“Council cannot change the scope for the proposed works as the tender has closed and the project has been awarded for construction.”

Breeding season

Lynn Docchar has been monitoring koala activity in the area for several years and says clearing eucalyptus trees will leave the marsupials without critical habitat.

She also objects to the timing, with koala breeding season in full swing.

While Council maps of the upgrade plans show koala habitat outside of John Bray Park, Lynn says she has recorded multiple sightings within park boundaries.

“The main concern is obviously the destruction of wildlife habitat in creating this new space,” Lynn says.

“It would appear the large mown area is to remain and all the new amenities built within a bush enclave.

“This means removal of many large trees - at least seven - along with the regenerating bush around them.

“We’re horrified at the thought of those trees going.”

New planting planned

The Council spokesperson says “a small number of trees and shrubs will be impacted”.

“The new planting and Council’s protection of the significant riparian corridor from future development will support enhanced koala habitat.

“Council will continue to undertake ecological restoration in the riparian corridor after the initial park works are completed.”

However Lynn says eucalypt trees take eight to 10 years to reach maturity for koalas to use and is concerned about overcrowding while the new plants grow.

“Last year we found they were getting squashed into Rob Akers Reserve because of development.

“One day last year they counted about 20 adults and 10 back-riders.

“That’s unnatural – we do expect koalas to be scattered – they’re not a mob animal.”

More consultation needed

Lynn says community consultation in May and June 2021 is irrelevant because residents were preoccupied with the COVID-19 pandemic and because occupants of 59 new dwellings built on the opposite side of Walsham St overlooking the park in the past two years did not have a chance to have input.

“Two major volunteer rescue groups in the area appear to have no record in their minutes showing discussion or meetings or advocacy about any impact on koala in the area,” Lynn says.

“A lot of people, especially all the new people who are now living on the border of the park, had no say and no idea,” Lynn says.

“People in the town houses are up in arms about the fact that when they bought they didn’t know this was going to happen.”

However the council spokesperson says appropriate consultation that informed the planning and design for the new park was undertaken “over the past 18 months or so”.

But a Council project page says consultation took place from May to June 2021.

Push for a rethink

Lynn says also of concern is that the Federal Government changed the status of koalas from vulnerable to endangered in February 2022.

“This means they were reclassified from vulnerable after the Council's consultation period,” she says.

“This alone should warrant a rethink of what is done to the area.

“The corridor along Four Mile Creek and the eucalypt within should be given more protection than ever before.”

The Council spokesperson says fauna spotters will be used during site establishment and while clearing work is carried out.

“Additional monitoring measures are required where koalas are located within construction sites.

“Ongoing ecological restoration is expected to enhance koala habitat and safety in the park.”

The meeting with Cr Moloney is on Friday, September 13 at 4pm in the cul-de-sac on Durham Crescent.

Find out more here.