Redland City Council has had a win for the community with the Planning and Environment Court ordering the clean-up of three Southern Moreton Bay Island properties with accumulated junk, including vehicles and containers.
The properties are located on Russell and Lamb islands.
Division 5 Councillor Mark Edwards said the court judgement ordered the property owners remove items including car bodies, boats and caravans, which presented considerable health and safety risks for the community.
“These properties weren’t just unsightly, they were dangerous due to a large build-up of material, rubbish and shipping containers, which had created a potential fire risk and vermin,” he said.
“Both Council and the wider community had been asking for these properties to be tidied up since 2014 but our requests had been continually ignored, so it is great the court has supported us in ordering this work be done.
“The fact that we invested so much time in pursuing this matter and followed through with court action shows we are serious about protecting our residents.
“The recent fires on Russell and Macleay Island are a timely reminder of the importance of keeping properties tidy so our emergency services can protect residents and again this decision reinforces this importance.”
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the court judgements gave Council added confidence to pursue other property clean ups across the city.
“This judgement can now be used as a template for other compliance action and shows that the community and Council on its behalf has a right to expect local properties to be kept tidy,” she said.
“The vast majority of the community does the right thing by keeping their properties tidy and they should not have to wear the costs associated with those property owners who refuse to keep their properties in an acceptable state.”
The court judgement orders the items be removed from the properties by 1 July and disposed of appropriately.