Plea to quash Dayboro church plan

A new church planned for the outskirts of Dayboro would have a detrimental impact on the environment, noise, traffic and flooding, according to a community group opposed to the proposal.

Members of the Say No Action Group addressed last week’s Moreton Bay Regional Council meeting, saying the proposed development, at the corner of Mount Mee and Fingerboard roads, King Scrub had no place in a rural residential area.

Robyn Chapman and Kelly Frampton, who were supported by other members of the group gathered in the gallery, said the application was inconsistent with the planning intent of the area, which is zones rural residential.

Safety concerns

Ms Frampton said despite assurances from Dayboro Church Limited pastor Gary Levens at last month’s council meeting the church would only open for a few hours at a time mid-week and longer on Sundays, the application sought permission for the church to open seven days a week for up to 16 hours a day.

“The proposal allows for 57 cars to come and go at one time and that’s a lot of cars to come out on a single lane road in a rural residential area,” she said.”

“We have significant safety concerns for that existing intersection and Fingerboard Rd is a rat-run street for a lot of the local community, so to have that many cars come in and out even at a small little church that Gary’s described in his application is a significant impact to the community.

|“There’s people on horses, on bikes, pushing prams, running and jogging, walking their kids down that road and it’s a single lane road with no pathway access.”|

Flooding risk

She said hard surfaces on the church’s driveway, parking and deck would add to run-off, exacerbating an existing flooding problem.

Ms Frampton said Fingerboard Rd had already flooded about 10 times this year across the road from the planned church.

“The proposed site has a drainage channel on it and any local resident will tell you that that drainage channel and many others in the estate will start flowing with as little as 10mm of rain.”

A 7m sign proposed for the side of the church building would distract drivers, Ms Frampton said.

“There’s some conjecture about whether it’s illuminated or not – even if it is not lit up, it’s a 7m sign in a small little residential area at an intersection with a history of crashes.

“It’s already dangerous and they want to put a sign – a 7m sign – on that corner to distract drivers as they’re coming through.”

Location an issue

Ms Chapman said SNAG’s concerns related to the location of a church in a rural residential community.

“In opposing this proposal our group has been very, very careful to be objective to avoid unfortunate debates about the nature of the church – we don’t think that’s relevant,” she said.

Ms Chapman described the relationship between council and the community as a contract and said the council had an obligation to follow the zoning set out in its regional plan.

“In that ‘contract’ it says that if you want to live in a rural residential zone we (council) will maintain that contract for you.

|“We trust you to do that for us.”|

Moreton Bay Regional Council will consider the planning application at a full Council meeting at a later date.