Building restrictions

Hi James, I just recently bought a block of land also. Planning to build later on. You mentioned that dealing with the Redland Council was a nightmare due to various restrictions. Can you elaborate and share what kind of restrictions you're referring to and what you've personally experienced. I think you sharing your personal story will help a lot of people who wants to have a clearer idea of what to expect when they decide to build. Thanks, Mike

My girlfriend is in the process of building a house on Russell Island at the moment and the delaying issue seems to be the power pole to enable her to have electricity! Is there any way at all to speed this process up??

hi mike how much about would a power pole cost to connect

This Redlands council are they like the Ipswich council crooks. i know they over charge in rates How dare they dictate what you can do on your own land.Pay them rates rates to keep their mouths shut.

I just finished a brand new 3 storey home on Russell and found the council reasonable to deal with. Each block is unique, and the issues can vary from steep slopes, severe fire overlays and koala protection overlays. Every block needs a sewer system and the size of the block will have an impact on the resultant amount of bedrooms you can have. But other than that you can do an Annex Unit or im the old language a Granny Flat. Now is the best time to buy a block as they won't stay this cheap as things are starting to heat up with the 2nd round of interest rate drops. I'm a designer Builder and find the council keen to see the Island grow.

markw20, do you know have any information relating to building on blocks with the koala overlays. What is RE Remnant Koala Habitat for example?

This parcel of land is in an area identified as a Koala Habitat and as such will require the owner to show how their development will not affect the Koalas habitat, and if it does what mitigating measures will be taken to offset the impact. With one development, I had to illustrate Koala friendly fencing so Koala would be able to pass through, Koala proof fencing in part of the yard to keep a dog from mauling said Koalas, and planting offset Koala vegetation to replace that which was removed for the building are just some of the solutions for this particular overlay. However, to know exactly what needs to be done, would be better answered by first a Certifier, then if an MCU is needed a Townplanner. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the information.

Do you require council approval to build annex/ granny flat or place transportable home on Russell island?

Does anyone know anything about building height restrictions? A couple of residents tell me that there's a one-storey restriction on the south end of the island on certain hilltop blocks overlooking the water, with the aim of preserving the views of the blocks on the opposite side of the road, however when I queried this with Redland Council they said this wasn't the case. This in turn raised the question of why all of the houses on this particular stretch, (with the exception of one), are one storey and seem to have been built according to a height restriction, as per what residents in the area say. I'm confused and not convinced the woman in the planning dept of the council has properly assessed my query.

Ask the council planning department for the answer to your question in writing. Most houses have only been build single story due to owners limited funds financing the build rather than any height restrictions. I have seen up to 3 story houses built on Russell island with amazing rooftop viewing platforms with 360 degree views over Moreton bay.

Thanks Dave

Redland was a convict settlement for thieves and the like and I think their descendants now run the council

Do they accept shipping container homes?

markw20's answers are sensible, only thing to add, is it may not just be the size of the block as to what sized house you are allowed to build, but the quality of the dirt also, e.g you may have a larger block but still only be allowed to build a one or two bedroom home. Get a soil test/report BEFORE buying. See you soon

Mark 20 as a builder can you tell me, if a 544 m2 block is big enough for a four bedroom and how much it will cost to build a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom single storey home on average cost? Also what are the costs of connection to water, electricity if already on the street?

Size of island block does not determine how many bedrooms a house can have. According to Redland City Council it is the wastewater septic treatment maximum size for the allotment that affects how many bedrooms can be build. Contact Queensland Project Builders who have display homes on Russell Island to give you a quote for house and land packages, or custom plan builds on Russell Island. Website https://qldpb.com/

Mike you said you bought land there how much is rates on vacate land roughly

Greetings markw20 et al. These building restrictions/requirements imposed by Redlands Council that you allude to based on a FALSE pretence that there are koalas living on Russell Island are utterly ludicrous. It has been common knowledge in zoology/scientific circles for decades that no koalas have resided on Russell Island for at least 100 years, and that it is quite possible that NO koalas have ever live on Russell Island. The Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science will confirm this to anyone who asks, as will the good people at [email protected] , and the learned and helpful people at Bay Islands Conservation Inc.. Thus, it is simply bizarre that Redlands Council seems to have gotten away with (if reports such as those above and elsewhere are correct) wasting hundreds of thousands (millions?) of dollars of owner-builders/developers/(etc). money by pretending that there are koalas living on the island, for decades. Redlands Council is apparently willing to be quite blatant about perpetuating this fallacy too. Have a look at this Redlands Council website, and note the (GENERIC/internet-filched) pic of a large koala framed front-and-centre on that website: http://redlandcity.net/russellisland.html . Perhaps someone (a builder/developer maybe?) can tell me, what would Redlands Council possibly be gaining from perpetuating this BS for decades in blatant defiance of the truth? Does Redlands Council somehow turn a profit from having these erroneous koala habitat overlays broadly applied over the majority of areas on Russell Island, despite the fact that no koalas have lived on Russell Island for at least 100 years, if ever? How so?

Hi Raj, I don't get on this website very often, so have missed many questions addressed to me.

Hi Trev, not exactly, I do a one time free evaluation report on your block which shows what infrastructure is available and the overlays which gives you an idea of what sort of hoops you need to jump through to get a Building Approval. Making sure there's power and water and overlays range from steep slopes, waterways and bushfire.

Hi markw20, I have a block and would like to get in touch. my ph 0434059476

Thanks markw20

what's the rate like? could you add some examples? thanks

$300 per quarter for vacant land-according to the council website

Hi Veronica. Try Mat Richardson Builders. Great quality, reputable trustworthy builder. http://www.matrichardsonbuilder.com.au

buildersbrisbane.com I design custom homes and have a range of plans, one stop shop from design, approvals and build.

Markw20 hi, just bought a block of land on Lamb Island. Would be interested in talking design/build with you, what is your email pls.

[email protected]

Hi Kirsty did you get onto Mark?Mark?

Ive lived on russell many years ago planing on buying house allready built next year owning it outright carnt wait to return

Hi Ajones where would you be able to get information on queensland building laws if find the redland city council site to be quite difficult to navigate for that information. frames

Hi Fredj2, I'm a Builder, what would you like to know specifically. If you have a block of land, I offer a free land evaluation report. It will give you a report on the infrastructure available, the overlays applicable and the aprox size of house you can build allowing for an onsite sewerage system. Once you have been given a BA, Building Approval it has a life span of 2 years, but can be extended for an additional fee.

Mark W20, Hi Craig here I'm currently looking at an option to rent to buy a block which has a bus and van on it already. I'm not allowed to live in these unless I am building a house myself is that the case? I was hoping with help from friends and family to build myself but my back is gone and I am 45 and unfit due to the injury. It would be a dream come true if I could make this happen, it has a power pole and been surveyed, I'm just a battler and looking for any advice I can get on what constitutes a liveable dwelling on Russell Island. Regards Craig

Unfortunately you can not build whatever you want on Russell Island. If you just go by the QLD building Laws you will be sadly mistaken when you come to plan submission with RCC. Each Council has over riding laws and in the case of the Moreton Bay Southern Islands governed by Redlands Council they have other regulations you should be aware of. As for Koala this is an interesting issue it is known that the last sighting of Koala was over 40 years ago. So why are we paying fees? The size of land does not determine the size of house you are able to build. The size of house including number of bedrooms/WC and more importantly the number of people able to inhabit your house on a full time basis is determined on the soil test and therefore what septic system and size of run off is required. Our 500m2 block can only have a 1bed 1bath 2 people living in the premises. The septic run off is over 60m2 then you need to take in the allowances from boundary, house, driveways or and other structures it takes up a lot of your land. Then it comes to the size of house you can build. The cost for AES Eco system is $7k to install by licensed plumber and $4.5k for unit. Do not talk to RCC about Green Toilets, it is not in their vocabulary. So we can only build a 1 x1 great, so tiny house is an option thats a great option for us as a retired couple ... until you see councils laws about building under 60m2 and the extra fees and then the chance of being held accountable for a bond up to 120% of your total build being held by council until your build is completed and aesthetically approved. You can build a shed after you have building approval and this is to be used as storage for materials etc ... not for living. You can apply for living in a caravan on site whilst building etc ... but there are many hoops to jump through on this one and you have 12 months only. You can not clear your property until building approval DA is completed. This means anything over the diameter of 15cm is to be left. Once you have building approval you can then apply for water and electricity to be connected. Now heres another whammy ... if the water and power are not on your side of the road make sure you budget for $ we know of a resident (new) charged $6700 for water connection to the block, the average is $1800. Put your own power pole in at legal height just inside your boundary and if the power is on your side of road it should be free. You then pay for your electrician to connect to the dwelling. Hope this helps a few of you to know the hidden costs of building on the islands. There is of course many more transport, lack of available trades when required ... please go in with your eyes open, dont let your dream become a nightmare

Re the above statement: 'As for Koala this is an interesting issue it is known that the last sighting of Koala was over 40 years ago' ... that is incorrect. I m reliably informed by various government entities, a Russell Island conservation group, and informed Russell Island residents that there is NO official record of any koalas EVER residing on Russell Island. Apparently the island has simply not had the appropriate type/number of old-growth food-source trees to support koalas, for at least 100 years. Any pretense by Redland Council that there are any koalas on Russell Island is absolute rubbish, and if they (or their 'developer associates') are making money out of perpetuating this utter BS, then it is nothing short of a blatantly fraudulent scam.

So why then are there Koala Protection Zoned areas on the Island. You can go on to PD online and see that areas are subject to this. One block of land we were interested in was in a complete conservation zone for koala. This meant that certain trees would need to be maintained, however this would not be known to us until we put in Building approval. How could you confidently buy with not knowing what trees were to be kept. Obviously we did not purchase.

Hi, Im Natalie and Im looking to buy land on Macleay island. Id be grateful if anyone could tell me if Redland shire council has allowed anyone to place a tiny house on wheels on their land to permanently live in and how cooperative they are about it?