Council alters Highfields plan after resident backlash

NO HOMES in Highfields will be forcibly taken by the Toowoomba Regional Council after it yesterday scrapped several parts of its plans to redevelop the suburb.

In the wake of a major backlash from residents during consultation, the council voted to not resume a dozen houses, although two residents will lose parts of their properties, in changes to the Highfields road network.

The new Highfields Library also won't be built adjacent to bushland reserve, with the decision made to place it on council-owned land between Sean McCarthy Way and Balmoral St.

In what was a display of people power, more than 40 Highfields residents watched as the most unpopular measures of the Highfields Cultural Precinct Master plan were scratched.

The changes were prompted by more than 500 physical and digital submissions on the draft and a petition featuring more than 2200 signatures.

In his submissions, Cr Chris Tait said the changes gave the Highfields community some certainty about how their town would look like.

"It shows the council does listen to its community and respects its opinion," he said.

Cr Paul Antonio accepted that the consultation process had "had a few bumps," but was adamant they had arrived at the right decision.

"There have been some strong learnings from it, but we've listened to people who objected to certain things in it," he said.

"We will now go and engage with the community and we've gotten rid of a lot of the things that came in the draft plan and this is a new beginning."

While the majority of residents expressed relief at the changes, long-time homeowner Merv Jensen fumed that the council was set to take 400m of his land to re-align O'Brien Rd.

"It is upsetting, because I've owned the land out there for 46 years and now the council wants to take 400m and put the main road right at my bedroom door," he said after the meeting.

More than 70 per cent of the 225 online submissions to the council's draft master plan were opposed, with 160 people voicing serious concerns for the construction of the new library near bushland reserve, the forced acquisition of land to build roads and the general loss of tranquillity in Highfields.

Another 336 submissions were made through emails and letters.

"Your proposed upgrade to Clarke Rd is unjust for all of the people who have bought homes in this area as a quiet no-through road. Your plan will turn Stringybark into a main street… and we will find ourselves on a main road intersection," one respondent said.

"Do not put the library in Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve. That is not what the land was intended for and you would be careless and more than likely negligent in your protection of the trees currently in the reserve," another resident wrote.

Cr Bill Cahill and Megan O'Hara-Sullivan were the dissenting voices among the councillors yesterday. Both felt the consultation process had been flawed and wanted more time before taking the plan back to the community.

The council will also protect the Charles and Motee Rogers Reserve by expanding it.