STUDY RULES OUT EBENEZER DEVELOPMENT

The State Government has today ruled out any proposal to build a high-impact industrial estate for the Mutdapilly-Mt Forbes area after a preliminary site report revealed numerous development constraints, announced Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe.

He said further planning for the 800 hectare Ebenezer South Investigation Area, located south of Goebels Road, would now be abandoned.

“As the department has clearly stated all along, extensive onsite investigations were vital in helping to determine the suitability of the site,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“Expert consultants GHD have come back to us with clear preliminary findings that the site would have only limited overall suitability for the establishment of an industrial estate for multiple difficult to locate industries.

“Therefore we will not be pursuing the Ebenezer South Investigation Area.

“The findings conclude the area has major issues such as flooding, valuable flora and fauna, including potential koala habitat, and drainage issues.

“Perhaps the most telling constraint from the surveys of the site was the amount of vegetation regrowth that was not recorded in existing vegetation and regional ecosystem mapping,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

Planning work is continuing on the separate 5,000 hectare Ebenezer Regional Industrial Area, north of Goebels Road and west of the Cunningham Highway. This area is expected to house a range of industry types that require large sites and separation from built-up urban areas, such as manufacturing and freight and logistics operations.

But Mr Hinchliffe stressed the study will only consider industry which complement the region, its existing infrastructure and future business needs.

“We are not considering any hard-to-locate or high-impact industries for this site,” he said.

“The Ebenezer Regional Industrial Area to the north of Goebels Road might be suitable for complementary agricultural industries or freight.

“But it is essential that we plan now to ensure we have enough land set aside to service South East Queensland’s economic and population growth over the next 50 years, as well as provide new employment in the region.

“We will keep the community informed as the department continues its investigations.”

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