Walker Corp Withdraws $1.3bn Plans for Qld’s Toondah Harbour

Walker Corporation has withdrawn its application for the $1.3-billion Toondah Harbour development in the wake of the Federal Government’s rejection of the project.

On April 9, Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek announced her proposed decision to reject the south-east Queensland development, saying proposals to dredge 58.7ha of wetland had an “unacceptable impact”. 

Toondah Harbour is at Cleveland, in the Redland council area, about 30km south-east of Brisbane CBD.

Walker said the decision to withdraw the application would allow the developer and project partners “an opportunity to review the Federal Government’s proposed decision and consider if there are 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.

“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.

“We need an appropriate amount of time to understand and address those concerns, to satisfy the Government’s environmental requirements and to determine whether an alternative scheme would be viable for the project partners.”

The project, which would deliver more than 3000 homes and a new marina precinct, had struggled with native title and local housing strategy issues.

The masterplan for the harbourside precinct was submitted in 2015 after considerable public consultation led by Redland City Council and the Queensland government in 2013 and 2014.

More than 26,000 comments were made when the draft environmental impact statement was released to the public.