Community Outrage Over Stolen Road - Public Meeting Sunday At 10:00am

Community Outrage Over Stolen Road - Public Meeting Sunday at 10:00am

Logan and Redland residents at Mt Cotton are demanding that a scenic public road
running through a wildlife corridor be restored and returned to the community.
Residents claim that the road reserve and nature trail in core Koala Habitat was
cleared and quarried without approval.

Local resident Mr Ian Bridge said that "the Barro Quarry Group have over the past 8 years systematically cleared and removed nearly 400,000 tonnes of material from the public road worth an estimated $14,000,000."


The unnamed public road is a Redland's City Nature trail, bordering on Logan City and running along the crest of Mt Cotton's southern ridge line. Removal of the ridge line has left a large gap in the road nearly 500 meters long and 40 metres deep. There is no evidence that the State Government had provided any approval for quarrying activities to be conducted on this road reserve.

Spokesperson for Wildlife Preservation Society of Logan, David Keogh said, "It is disgraceful that despite nearly 8 years of repeated complaints of clearing and interference with the nature trail on public land, quarrying and blasting continued until recently".

Questions are being asked about Government complacency and unwillingness to enforce regulations against big companies unless there is a public outcry. This claim follows a similar local case in which American resources giant Unimin were finally charged after much public pressure with illegal sand-]mining following the removal of an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 tonnes of sand per year from North Stradbroke Island.

"We are not interested in some token levy now being imposed after 8 years" said MR Bridge. "A public space was cleared and quarried; we want the road reserve
reinstated and revegetated and the appropriate action taken against the company.
We are also asking why no action was taken earlier".

Residents' spokesperson Luke Daglish states "We are going to test this State Government precedent where a public road reserve can be quarried for the cost of the royalties."

"We will be extracting material from Gramzow Road and know that many residents
will be happy to pay a few dollars for a cubic metre of general fill. In fact, we may adopt this as a fund-raising opportunity to bolster our campaign funds."

"What is good for Barro, can be good for us!" added Me Daglish.

A community meeting is planned for Sunday (21 February 2010) when the embattled residents will meet at Gramzow Road, (off Mt Cotton Rd) (UBD reference page 245 A10) at 10:00am. They will be calling the State Government and Redland City Council to account for their action in not acting sooner and not imposing any penalties for what can only be described as a blatant theft.

This entire situation demonstrates that the Bligh Government has no interest in
protecting community amenity and the environment against quarrying companies"
added Mr Keogh.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
David Keogh
0418 714 773
[email protected]


SOURCE: Wildlife Protection Society - Logan