Our community campaigned to create a new park called Cactoblastis Corner at the end of Ferry St, Sherwood when the State Government sold the old Alan Fletcher Research Station site. As a result of our community efforts, a small but mighty riverside Park with high ecological value was created on the banks of the Brisbane River near the Sherwood Arboretum. It was both a beautiful riverside parkland and performed a local and district drainage function. The site was home to significant mature native trees planted over the decades by the scientists at Alan Fletcher.
Following the 2022 floods, the park was affected by major landslip and was catastrophically damaged. This is not Council’s fault but as the land manager their neglect over the past 2.5 years has been appalling and has left our community in limbo, particularly those residents whose homes adjoin the site.
I have shocking news I am sorry to say regarding the remediation of Cactoblastis Corner, Sherwood.
Sadly, Council has now confirmed they will do nothing to remediate the site and the parkland has been abandoned in a terrible state. This is in stark contrast to their extraordinary efforts on the northside to remediate Kedron Brook.
Yesterday at Council, the Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, and his ‘team’ who control the majority at Council have made a decision to abandon Cactoblastis Corner as Council parkland. This means the site will revert to unallocated state land. I am appalled by their cowardly decision to abandon our community and I did not vote for this motion.
This decision has been made secretly by Council with no consultation with:
- residents who are directly impacted;
- me, as the local councillor;
- Mark Bailey, the State Member;
- the Queensland State Government; or
- the QRA, who approved $17m for repairs and remediation in April 2023. Read the letter here.
The reason given is that it is too complex and costly for Council to repair the damaged parkland and instead is handballing the problem back to the State Government on the eve of an election and outside their Budget process. This is a cheap political tactic. The outcome is the land will continue to sit there in a derelict state, possibly for years.
In contrast, Council spent millions restoring flood damaged Kedron Brook (a State Government creek and Council parkland) on the northside after the floods but are putting repairs of a small but valuable riverfront community parkland in the too hard basket.
It is an appalling decision that does a disservice to our local community. I have never seen anything like this in my time as a local Councillor. I am incredibly angry and disappointed that they have chosen to ignore and avoid the problem, not of Council’s making of course, rather than doing the right thing to remediate the riverfront parkland under Council’s management and control for many years.
I have written to Major General Jake Ellwood, CEO of the QRA, to seek their assistance in delivering a remediation plan and State Member, Mark Bailey, but this is a very new process I’ve not seen before. Normally, the State hands both local as well as major parklands to Council to manage while they manage forests. You can read my letter to Major General Ellwood here.
You can read the details of the decision at item D in the attached Council Report. Keep in mind that hundreds of parks, including Graceville Memorial Park and South Bank to name just two, are owned by the State and managed in Trust by Council.
I will keep you updated.
Cactoblastis Corner in 2021.
Cactoblastis Corner following the 2022 landslip.
Temporary PVC piping, storm water, water supply and sewerage.