THE two-and-a-half-year wait for the O’Possum Creek sewer line upgrade revegetation works promised by Springfield City Group have begun, but locals believe it will not be completed before clearing for Springview Village begins.

Sewer line upgrades began in December 2022 and resulted in a several kilometres-long wide swathe of Woogaroo Forest being cleared between the creek and Stockland’s proposed 1,800 lot Springview Village housing development.

Thousands of mature trees and a well-established ecosystem were destroyed.

A Save Woogaroo Forest Group Inc spokeswoman said the destroyed section of land was set to be a significant wildlife corridor for native animals, including koalas, which would have been displaced by Stockland’s development.

“There is now nowhere to escape through, or to, because there is no shelter for the animals due to the large amount of road base material left and the weed-infestation that has replaced the natural habitat,” the spokeswoman said.

“We are happy the revegetation and repair of the site has begun but disappointed that the plan includes few native tree planting areas.

“There is a significant amount of lomandra – also known as spiny head mat rush or basket grass – with some weeping bottle brush and eucalyptus.”

SWFG Inc were forced to obtain a copy of the Revegetation Plan through Freedom of Information despite making multiple requests for a copy from Springfield City Group (SCG), Ipswich City Council and Queensland Urban Utilities.

There was no defined budget, start or end date evident.

The plan includes to “remove large rocks; grade to a suitable grade; repair erosion; Install ‘Whoa-Boys’ for water diversion; check dams to be installed in table drains … remove builder’s waste material such as iron bars, logs and large rocks, witch’s hat etc … revegetate with native seed mix…. rehabilitate weed treatment to disturbed areas of the O’Possum Creek Wildlife Corridor.”

Local ecologist Dr Christina Zdenek said the revegetation plan was “too little, too late, it is another failure of the Ipswich City Council on the environmental front”.

“We’ve lost years’ worth of shelter-and-food-providing plant-growth due to inaction since the sewerage upgrade in 2022, and a monoculture of lomandra planned for the revegetation will fall far short of restoring ecosystem complexity once there,” Dr Zdenek said.

“Revegetation is not just about slope stabilisation; it’s about supporting biodiversity. Dozens of locally native plant species, if not hundreds, should be included in the plan.

“If Woogaroo Forest is further destroyed for 1800 mini-block homes in Stockland’s Springview Village development, where will the thousands of native animals, native birds, lizards, snakes, and frogs go?

“No doubt they will perish if the Federal Government approves it.

“The area will likely never recover, sending many species closer toward extinction, not to mention adding more traffic congestion and heat island effect for locals.

“Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest natural disaster, and trees are quite literally our best, cheapest tool to mitigate those effects.

“If the clearing of Woogaroo Forest proceeds, it will be a deplorable black mark of disgrace on the developer, Ipswich Council, and the State Government.

“The revegetation of the sewer line, while positive, will still leave the animals of Woogaroo Forest with no wildlife corridor in the face of what is to come.”

For details, contact admin@savewoogarooforest.com.au or to view the Revegetation Plan visit www.savewoogarooforest.com.au and check under facts.