Billion-dollar project scrapped after 12-year saga
Walker Corp has pulled the pin on its $1.3 billion Toondah Harbour development following a 12-year long planning saga.
Walker Corporation has walked away from its long-running push to transform Toondah Harbour, ending a project first initiated more than a decade ago.
In a statement published last week, Walker Group announced it had withdrawn its application for the Toondah Harbour Development, saying it would instead consider “alternative options that would still allow vital infrastructure and housing to be delivered.”
“Along with Redland City Council and the Queensland Government, Walker has been on a long journey to deliver a world class vision for a revitalised Toondah Harbour,” the statement said.
“It is a project that set out to deliver housing, state infrastructure and public domain areas but we acknowledge and respect the Minister’s Proposed Decision, that she does not believe the project in its current form, provides the necessary protections for the environment.”
The long-running proposal – pitched as a major ferry terminal upgrade alongside a residential and marina precinct – became one of the state’s most contentious developments due to environmental concerns.
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Specifically, the project faced fierce opposition due to its location within protected wetlands, which are home to migratory shorebirds, marine life and koalas.
The company said it would need “an appropriate amount of time to understand and address those concerns” and would seek to “to determine whether an alternative scheme would be viable for the project partners”.
“Walker will not be making any further comment,” the statement said.
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Redland City Mayor Jos Mitchell said while the outcome was not “initially anticipated”, the council “respected the commercial considerations of the decision”.
“Council recognises the community’s interest in this major project and will continue working with the Queensland Government, as the majority landowner within the precinct, to consider next steps for this crucial maritime link between the mainland and North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah),” she said.
The development of Toondah Harbour was initiated in 2014, with Walker entering into a Development Agreement in 2014, Mitchell said.
She said the harbour was “long overdue for an upgrade” and the council was would still work “collaboratively with all stakeholders for a solution to providing a rejuvenated marine facility that meets our growing city’s needs”.
Taking to social media, the Koala Action Group – which had embarked on more than a decade of protest against the development – thanked members and supporters for their long-term commitment.
“It’s an example of what can be achieved when community unite,” the group statement said.
“We now hope no more public funds are wasted on pursuing any more grandiose residential development in the Toondah Harbour precinct and that the state government in partnership with council do what should have happened decades ago – upgrade the ferry terminal and fix the parking issues.”
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