MORE than 1000 people have signed a petition to save Colbrae, the historic Brahman cattle stud that 79-year-old Margaret Hawkins, the granddaughter of pioneers, fears will become the site of the council’s new Site B sewerage plant.
Miss Hawkins collected signatures on paper at Jimboomba Markets on the weekend.
“Practically everyone I asked was thrilled to sign it. Only four people said no,” she said.
Ms Hawkins said another 50 or so pages of signatures had been collected by way of an online petition.
Miss Hawkin’s niece Susan Birmingham said the petition with 1361 signatures was lodged at the office of Logan’s acting mayor Cherie Dalley at Logan CIty Council, yesterday, Monday, August 20.
Cr Dalley’s office confirmed the petition had been received and would be tabled at the next meeting of the full council on Tuesday, August 28.
Ms Birmingham said the petition asked for an extension to the Monday, August 20 deadline and called for detailed plans about the infrastructure, the type and method of waste water treatment, what hazardous chemicals might be involved, the distance over which any odour would travel under different weather conditions, whether errors can made in the regulation of the quality of the end product and exactly what may and may not be removed.
She said she had also asked what documented environmental and feasibility studies had been undertaken and about the right for public information to “know what is happening in our area.”
The council has said the new plant will be state of the art.
Colbrae is 60.7 hectares of grazing land and part of the selection made by Miss Hawkins grandparents, William and Maryanne Hawkins in 1865 next to River Oaks. The first deeded property sold in Logan Village is still home to three generations descended by the pioneer family – Miss Hawkins, her niece Mrs Birmingham, her husband John and their three children.
One of three homesteads on the property – Sunnyside and the home built by Miss Hawkins grandfather for her grandmother – has been preserved as a time capsule to family history. She was joined by residents from across the river at Chambers Flat who had concerns of their own on the weekend.
Miss Hawkins fears the property is the preferred site for the treatment plant. She has a 2016 State government report that says so. Logan water chair Phil Pidgeon has said the report was commissioned before the council had the project and it has no bearing on the decision that lies ahead.
Logan must build two sewerage plants to service the south west. One will be built at Cedar Grove. The other has been the subject of search for a site public meetings. Public submissions closed on August 20.
Late last week, the council had received submissions from 23 property owners prepared to sell for a treatment plant. Cr Pidgeon said today that number had increased but he was unsure by just how many.
He was disappointed to learn about leaflet drops to letterboxes spreading rumours the council had selected a site for the sewerage plant - these related not just to Colbrae but to another site at Chambers Flat. Both were untrue, he said.
“This is going to be a long journey. We’re going to have to make some tough decisions and we do have to decide where this plant will go.
“Having given a commitment to make consultation as open and transparent as possible, this is disappointing.”
