Bad news for the birds and for local bird-watchers in Brisbane's east side
south of the river. I quote from the South-east Advertiser of Wed. 5th of
February:
"The Brisbane City Council has approved a controversial plan to turn the
second-largest green space in the Bulimba Creek catchment into a public golf
course and residential development.
"Developer BMD Group wants to turn Minnippi Parklands at Tingalpa into
an 18-hole golf course and 160-lot housing development including a pro shop,
cafe/restaurant and functions centre.
"The plan, which was approved in civic cabinet on Monday, would further
diminish parkland in Brisbane following parkland sell-offs in Norman Park
and Darra."
I suppose a few bird species will benefit from grassy fairways, irrigated
when necessary, but a lot won't.
The paper did not show a plan, so I have no idea where the housing
development and golf course are to be located with respect to the little
lake, but this is not a responsible action from a Council that claims to be
"green".
Not birds, but flying vertebrates (well, gliding anyway): The Advertiser
quotes Wayne Cameron, President of the Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating
Committee (B4C) as saying the proposal would impact on the large sugar
glider population.
Mr Cameron:
"Apart from Rochedale, Minnippi Parklands is the biggest green space in
the Bulimba Creek catchment and to have housing development on such
important land sets a dangerous precedent. We believe any housing on the
parklands would have a big impact on one of the densest sugar glider
colonies anywhere in Australia."
The local councillor, John Campbell, says the area had been identified as a
golf course site in the 1992 Bulimba Creek Recreational Master Plan and
again in the 1998 Cannon Hill Local Area Plan. He claims that the BMD plan
"would provide significant benefits to the community, including new
bikeways, walkways, re-establishment of the wetlands and improved quality of
run-off into Bulimba Creek".
(I have to admit that in 1998, I didn't even know of the existence of the
Minnippi Parklands, but I would comment that it appears that the Brisbane
City Council has learnt nothing environmentally since 1998.0)
I don't have an email address for Councillor Campbell. His postal address
is:
Cr. John Campbell, Councillor for Doboy, Shop E, 1181 Wynnum Road, Murrarie
Q. 4172
if anyone wishes to communicate with him over this matter.
And if there is any local ornithologist who can comment authoritatively
(which I cannot) on the significance of the Minnippi lake for waterbirds,
and the adjacent bush for birds generally,
should find the South-east Advertiser.
Syd (very saddened) Curtis
(at Hawthorne 4171)
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
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