Chicken Farm

We are following through with the environmental initiatives recommended by you
the council.
The large scale farming enterprise proposed by the applicant is in direct conflict with the
sustainable principles and practices of the area and council planning. And stands to do
significant damage to our local environment and also affect, with the potential to destroy,
the appeal and effectiveness of the more sensitive and sustainable low impact business
operations in the area.

The applicant’s proposal does not offer a win-win outcome for the residents of Ridgewood
and the broader community. It is clearly a win for one resident and a huge lose for
everyone else and the environment of the area. This kind of outcome is therefore
unsustainable and not in keeping with the South East Queensland Regional Plan
2009-2031.

We trusted that low impact zoning of properties in our area, by our council, would not be
altered just because of one person’s wants. We trusted council would honour its own
planning guidelines. Those development parameters are there for a reason: to
protect. They need to be respected and upheld, and only modified after extensive public
consultation and acceptance, otherwise they mean nothing. Most residents of Ridgewood
live in the area for the reasons that are now seriously under threat from this development.

Many of the submissions have highlighted important concerns we share regarding the
environmental and economic consequences of the applicant’s proposal. We wish to
highlight also the very real negative social and emotional consequences of such a
proposal.

Imagine choosing to live in a quiet area of Cooroy, on a small rural road, to then be
subjected to living with 4-5 semi-trailers rattling by your place a day or with the daily stench
that a Poultry Farm such as this creates? Imagine the emotional and physical impact of
living in a once beautiful, peaceful and unique area made unsustainable, stressful and
unhealthy, with odour, noise, environmental and visual pollution?

And yes we are emotional about this situation. You have our quality of life, our
nature which we care for so passionately, in your hands.

Currently, as residents of Ridgewood, we feel safe to ride our horses, bikes and walk our
dogs on our local rural roads and we have a bus stop that sees many children picked up
and dropped off every morning and afternoon.

This sense of safety, freedom and connection to our local countryside is an integral part
of our rural community lifestyle. It contributes to our wellbeing. It contributes to our sense
of social connection and interaction with our environment and neighbours. It is a ‘way of
being’ that ought to be repeated not deleted.

However, with the applicant’s proposal, our narrow little country roads would see semi
trailers hurtling along them, turning tight corners, along with a great increase in traffic to
and from the applicant’s property of additional poultry farm staff and associated services.

It puts us all at great risk and creates danger, fear, stress and a sense of loss and
restriction, where there has been safety, tranquility and joy.