Council conceals Kedron land resumption documents

The Brisbane City Council media office has refused to let Newsbytes see documents about a 70-hectare land resumption “for environmental purposes” in Upper Kedron.

The matter was before the full chamber last week but when Newsbytes asked to see the listed file for the land at Ross Rd and Mt Nebo Rds, access was denied.

According to a council file summary, the BCC has been trying to resume more than 70 hectares of private land at Upper Kedron since July last year.

Newsbytes asked the Brisbane City Council media officer Laura Buttigieg for access to the file containing material dealing with the land owner’s objections to the resumption, as well as the council’s detailed reasons for wanting to resume the land.

But after several requests over a week Newsbytes received an email from Ms Buttigieg that said the Council was “unable to assist”.

Ms Buttigieg’s email said the council followed the Right to Information process when allowing access to council files, “which can contain information that needs to be removed for privacy and in-confidence reasons”.

The two joint properties of 19 and 51 hectares owned by Institutional Investments Pty Ltd, was said to be fit for resumption “for environmental purposes”.

Council documents say the land owners twice lodged an objection as well as making “detailed representations to Council”, which were rejected by a resumption delegate for the case.

According to the file summary, despite the owners having “long-term plans for the land”, there were “no records of any development applications being made for the subject land”.

The land is described in Council agenda  papers as  “ESTABLISHMENT AND COORDINATION COMMITTEE HEARING D: RESUMPTION OF LAND AT 266 ROSS ROAD AND 277 MT NEBO ROAD, UPPER KEDRON, FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PURPOSES”.

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