Close to 150,000 people in one of Logan’s highest-growth areas could escape severe traffic congestion if the Queensland government fulfills the local council’s wishes.
Logan mayor Jon Raven will write to the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Brent Mickelberg, requesting key roads leading into Flagstone be taken over by the state.
That includes Wyatt Road, Teviot Road and Crowson Lane.
Council’s reasoning is simple: the roads can’t keep up with demand, which will continue to boom over the next 20 years, and council can’t afford to upgrade them.
Flagstone was identified as a Priority Development Area (PDA) in 2010, meaning it is planned and managed by the Queensland government.
Once complete, Flagstone is projected to house around 138,000 people across 51,500 dwellings.
At the time the PDA was first declared, there was no state-controlled road connection to Flagstone.
Nor has there been one since.
Local councillor Natalie Willcocks, who voted in favour of a motion requesting the mayor write to the minister, said at a council meeting this month that enhanced access to Flagstone was “desperately needed”.
“Not just for the state-led Flagstone PDA, but for the surrounding areas so that they all have access to roads that aren’t always gridlocked due to the population growth,” Cr Willcocks said.
“We hear from the state government all the time that councils need to open up more land for housing and development.
“Except, in the PDA, it’s nearly to the point where no more blocks can be released or sold due to the lack of road infrastructure, that it’s now classed as dangerous.
“I’m also hearing from developers, residents and motorists in the area that without the roads and the infrastructure being upgraded, people simply don’t want to move out there.”
Mayor Jon Raven said Logan was the perfect place for the state government to invest, as it was the fastest growing city in Queensland.
“Every day residents are talking to me about the upgrades to roads, parks and community facilities they want to see,” he said.
“We need infrastructure to keep up with the 283 new people who are moving to Logan every week, so any support we get from the state government will ease the pressure on our rates and improve the quality of life for people in Logan.”
The mayor said he had been advocating for investment like this since the new government was first elected.
“I’m actively engaging with Premier Crisafulli about infrastructure and I spoke with the new Local Government Minister Ann Leahy today,” Cr Raven said.
“I have meetings with ministers planned all the way up to Christmas.
“I’m really excited about the State government’s $2 billion Housing Enabling Infrastructure commitment and how it can help support our growth.
“There are lots of things for us to talk about when it comes to Logan.”
A spokesperson for Economic Development Queensland, which manages PDAs, said the body continued to work with council and state agencies in the ongoing delivery of development, and equitable contribution to infrastructure in the PDAs and their surrounds.
“As part of the planning for these PDAs, Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) prepared a funding arrangement, in partnership with Logan City Council and developers, to support infrastructure delivery within the PDA,” the spokesperson said.
“Further, an overarching sub-regional infrastructure agreement has been developed between EDQ, council and several major developers operating within the local government area to address the impacts of this future growth on infrastructure outside of the PDA.
“EDQ also administers significant programs of catalyst infrastructure funding, which are low-interest loans for accelerating the delivery of essential infrastructure within key PDAs.
“These loans are open to developers and council, and to date over $200 million across various funding tranches has been invested in the Greater Flagstone and Yarrabilba PDA infrastructure.”
