Mixed messages about Stradbroke bridge from the Queensland Government

One of three planning strategies doing the rounds between 1977 and 1986. It proposed five new urban centres and a peak holiday population of 80,000 people. The plan included building a bridge and the continuation of sand mining.  The natural environment would not have been restored and instead the land used by the mines reshaped to suit residential development. Of the new centres, Clayton would be a series of hectare blocks along Clayton Road, Amity. Karboora will be halfway along the Dunwich 18 mile swamp road and Mllbool will be at the end of the road. Canaipa Point  would have been be south of Dunwich near where the bridge joins the Island and Canaipa Waters was planned as a canal estate south of Canaipa Point. The suggested tourist development included a casino at Karboora and a country club at Dunwich.

Queensland Ministers are disagreeing on the future of North Stradbroke.

John
Paul-Langb
roek

In the Courier Mail yesterday Education Minister John Paul-Langbroek said a North Stradbroke Island bridge might have to be reconsidered to ensure the island community remained viable.
"We do have to plan for people to be able to maintain their lives over there," Mr Langbroek said.
At the same time Planning Minister Jeff Seeney said the project was currently "not on the Government's radar" and a spokes person for Transport Minister and Main Roads Minister Craig Emerson flatly told Brisbane Times that trying to bridge in North Stradbroke Island was uneconomic.
The spokesperson said that the southern Moreton Bay islands will come into the Translink network, allowing them cheaper ferry trips, from mid-2013.
The reason for the sudden flurry of comment was the release of the 1982 Queensland Government Cabinet Papers which revealed for the first time the extent of the carve up of North Stradbroke Island Crown land that was to bankroll bridging from the mainland 20 years ago.
In May 1982, Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen told his cabinet:
"Early this year I received a deputation representing a consortium of private developers which expressed interest in submitting a proposal to the government for private financing of a bridge in return for development rights to certain Crown lands on North Stradbroke Island"
"I am now in receipt of a proposal from the consortium ... including Keneba Pty Ltd, a company incorporated in Western Australia, and Seo Il Construction Company Limited from Korea."
A route across Russell Island had been investigated by the Department of Main Roads in March 1978.
The Cabinet papers showed that a toll would not be enough to cover the expenses of the bridging so, in order for the plan to work, the Government was considering giving freehold title for the 800 hectares of crown land near Point Lookout to the companies that they could then sell off to "reputable developers".

Joh
Bjelke-Petersen

Estimates at the time said this was enough for 8,000 houses and a permanent population of 20,000.and a permanent population of 20,000 on North Stradbroke.

About 50 hectares of "prime beachfront land" would have been set aside for commercial and high-density development.
What is more the developers would have exclusive rights to develop land on North Stradbroke Island.
It wasn't until 1986 that a $81 million final proposal was revealed. It would have taken the route across Pannikin and Russell islands and overshot the budget
The developers wanted the Government to bear part of the cost of the bridging and the State Government canned the project as "economically unviable".
Two years later Redland Shire Chairman Merv Genrich said that as the Shire’s plans to pipe water from the sands of Stradbroke Island to the mainland via Russell in order to support residential development in the south of the Shire.  95% of the North Stradbroke was declared a water catchment reserve and thus insufficient crown land was left on Stradbroke to excite developers today.

Karen
Williams

Commenting on the feasibility of the current State Government revisiting the issue, Redland City Council Mayor Karen Williams  said North Stradbroke Island faced challenges as mining operations wound down but she believed there was neither funding nor community support for bridging.
She told Andrew MacDonald of the Courier Mail that it could also risk damaging North Stradbroke's reputation as a pristine and relatively secluded tourism asset.
"My position currently would be that we need to take a long-term view of the transition plans for North Stradbroke Island and I don't know that the bridge is the solution," she said.
"When you do build that kind of infrastructure, there is then pressure to find ways to keep up with costs and find ways of maintaining it which could ultimately mean developing parts of the island we wouldn't be considering today."
Taking a similar line to Craig Emerson she said a bigger issue facing council was providing additional services to the southern Moreton Bay Islands.

Craig
Ogilvie

Councillor for North Stradbroke's Division Craig Ogilvie said the proposal in 1982 reflected "a type of thinking that belonged back in that generation. It certainly isn't the type of thinking that belongs in this generation.
"Any move to reconsider the issue could inflame residents".