Plans touted for luxury hotel, 7000 jobs at chicken farm site

A mysterious development plan on the site of two chicken farms and a winery on Brisbane’s bayside has been given in-principle support by the council following a tense meeting, paving the way for rural farmland to be transformed.

Redland City Council passed a motion six to three on Wednesday asking for the state to investigate adding a large chunk of land in Mount Cotton to the urban footprint – with the proviso that it not be for houses.

The plans include an industrial park, a neighbourhood centre, and a five-star hotel at a local winery.

Speaking on the motion, Councillor Rowanne McKenzie argued the council needed more land for industry, with more than half of Redlanders leaving the council area for work every day.

Redlands has some of the highest council rates in Queensland, and McKenzie said more jobs were needed to diversify the city’s rate base.

“Approximately 90 per cent of council’s rate revenue is derived from residential properties, creating a heavy reliance on households to fund core services and infrastructure,” she said.

In a heated meeting in the council chambers, long-term councillor Wendy Boglary argued against the motion, saying little was known publicly about the landholders’ intentions for the area.

“I have grave concerns about the timing and lack of updated planning evidence to justify this notice of motion,” Boglary said, noting that tourism, recreation and certain businesses can already apply to operate on rural land.

The motion dictated that developers would pay for any infrastructure, including sewerage.

As proof of how plans can change over time, Boglary pointed to Shoreline, a suburban development in Redland Bay approved under dubious circumstances in 2013 without a concrete plan to connect sewerage.

“I have no confidence that this single dot point will hold any weight to prevent change within this Mount Cotton area,” she said.

The landholders involved are wealthy Redlanders: the Morris family, who own Sirromet Winery, developer and local newspaper owner Warren Pryde, and chicken farm operators the Benfer and Elks families.

Stephen Williams, best known for his role in developing West Village in West End, is representing the landholders.

During the meeting, acting mayor Julie Talty noted the council was aware that proponents of developing the area had been asking the state government to declare it a priority development area and bypass the council’s planning laws.

PDAs are contentious in the Redlands, with one imposed by the state in the Southern Thornlands area, north of Mount Cotton, as two others, at Toondah Harbo