Residents rally over golf land plan

Hundreds of objections have already been lodged against new plans for a retirement village and aged care facility on former North Lakes golf course land.

Public submissions opened this week and more than 300 were made through the Save North Lakes Golf Course (SNLGC) website alone in the first 24 hours.

SNLGC is providing an online link on its website and Facebook page for submissions direct to Moreton Bay Regional Council, whose officers will assess the development application.

The Village Retirement Group (TVRG) has scaled back its latest development application removing plans for a school, markets and shops. on the 68-hectare site.

Open space

It leaves a retirement village (up to 250 villas), aged care facility (up to 120 beds) with 46 hectares - presented as Eden Creek Parklands online - returned for council to maintain as public space. 

SNLGC says an eight-hectare block, originally for a school, would also be retained by TVRG.

SNLGC, formed in 2018 when development plans were first raised, is campaigning for the entire 68-hectare former golf course to remain “parkland and open space”.

It is now planning to set up venues and positions in the area where residents can speak to SNLGC representatives and get help with submission forms.

Corflutes have been made and are being posted. There are also plans for letterbox drop in the “whole community”.

A spokesman for SNLGC told a packed Mango Hill Progress Association (MHPA) meeting last night properly made submissions “carry weight right through the process”.

In the spokesman’s opinion: “It’s open space, it’s not retirement, it’s not residential, it’s not aged care, it’s not a school, so all of those things are in our favour.

“The facts haven’t changed from day one – it’s a highly not-favourable land use they (TVRG) has applied for. It’s already designated parkland, open space.”

The spokesman said the lobby group is working “respectfully” to “represent the community well”.

'Make it happen'

Laurence Christie, President of MHPA, said: “You guys have got great leaders. You need the volunteers to go with it. Go through the process. Make it happen. The ball is in your court.”

Federal Member for Petrie Luke Howarth told the meeting his late uncle was the first member of North Lakes Resort Golf Club.

“When this issue first came up I attended the first meeting at the golf course,” he said, “there was a big crowd.

“I am passionate about this issue. I’ll continue to support the SNLGC committee.”

Public submissions to Moreton Bay Regional Council are open until June 2.

Written submissions can be made to The Assessment Manager, Moreton Bay Regional Council, PO Box 159, Caboolture, Qld 4510 or email to [email protected].

Submissions must include the full name and address of the person making the submission and quote the application number DA/2022/3732

MBRC then has 20 working days to assess the application and make a decision. Given the expected volume of public submissions, this can be extended.

Council officers will review the submissions, complete technical assessments of the development application and prepare their recommendations. These will then go before councillors and a general council meeting.

A pillar of SNLGC’s campaign is the Mango Hill Infrastructure Development Control Plan (MHIDCP) - which TVRG is seeking to “vary”.

Not affected

SNLGC has called on residents to challenge the proposals in a Queensland Government Consultation Paper released this month.

Chris Whiting, State Member for Bancroft, said, in a letter to MHPA, proposed changes to Queensland DCPs “would not retrospectively approve new development or change conditions attached to existing approvals”.

“The proposed amendments will not remove DCPs or the planning framework established by each respective DCP for the land it affects.”

And “existing land use considerations already in place within each DCP will not be affected by the proposed change.”