Clearing beings at Petrie site

Vegetation clearing began on November 10 across 12 hectares of the former Petrie paper mill site, as preparations continue for the next stage of development at Moreton Bay Central.

The staged work is taking place on land backing onto the railway line, in an area designated for development since 2017.

Moreton Bay Central is already home to the University of the Sunshine Coast campus, with work underway on a TAFE Queensland Centre of Excellence and the Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre, which is planned as a venue for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

City of Moreton Bay says the vegetation clearing has Federal Government approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, with conditions covering koala protection, habitat rehabilitation and environmental monitoring.

Wildlife specialists will survey vegetation immediately before clearing, with fauna spotter catchers overseeing the work. Thermal drones will also be used to locate koalas, while telemetry tags will allow specialists to monitor the movements of tagged animals in near real time.

Council says more than 110 hectares of the former paper mill site has already been conserved for wildlife and environmental corridors, including 74 hectares of habitat near Yebri Creek and along the North Pine River.

Additional koala habitat planting is also planned across 26 hectares following rehabilitation of the land.

As the holder of the federal environmental approval, Council is responsible for meeting conditions including a mandatory Koala Management Plan, habitat rehabilitation, monitoring and reporting.

Across the City of Moreton Bay, Council says it has secured protection for more than 280 hectares of koala nature refuges and is supporting wildlife corridors, crossings, underpasses and koala fencing to reduce the risk of animals being struck by vehicles.