The State Assessment and Referral Agency advised the council last Thursday that approval had been given.

Lord mayor Graham Quirk said he had “always been confident” the project, which has polarised residents and seen plenty of opposition from the Mt Coot-tha community, would be built.

“Around 200 trees in total will be removed for the Mt Coot-tha zipline project, which represents just 0.077 per cent of the entire 1600-hectare Mt Coot-tha precinct,” he said.

“For each tree removed there will be eight trees planted within the Mt Coot-tha precinct, so around 1600 new trees will be within the precinct by 2020.”

Public submissions are still open on the council-funded project, spearheaded by urban planners Ethos Urban and to be operated by Brisbane company Zipline Australia.

SARA’s response to the council said the department was satisfied the zipline project would not require additional clearing of native vegetation for firebreaks and safety buffers, and bushfire risks would be managed appropriately.

“The department is satisfied that the construction of the zipline take-off and lookout platform adjacent to the Summit Lookout will not worsen impacts on views currently available from the Summit Lookout,” SARA’s decision also read.

“The development has minimised impacts on the cultural heritage significance of the Mount Coot-tha Forest Reserve.

“Conditions have been imposed to limit the extent of clearing of native vegetation necessary for the construction and operation of the development.”

On Thursday morning the lord mayor said anyone with concerns was encouraged to lodge a submission by close of business on Friday and council officers would assess those before making their final decision.

Cr Quirk said he would not concede there was significant public concern backed up by parliamentary petitions and the number of submissions made.

"When submissions are assessed, we look at what are the concerns raised in those submissions, against the detail and the facts around the application," he said.

"There's a lot of misinformation out there at the moment and I would just say to those who are spreading that ... that is incorrect information."

The application also included dedicated set-down zones for passengers and changes to the existing public bus services to “prioritise” public transport.

SARA’s approval follows a critical response initially provided by the department to the council in October, requiring responses on all of the issues above.

Maiwar Greens MP Michael Berkman has launched a week of action to “save Mt Coot-tha” including a petition and asking volunteers to help hand out leaflets to protest the development.

Mr Berkman earlier criticised the council for opening public consultation before Christmas and called for a 40-day public submission period instead of the typical 14 business-day period.

Cr Quirk said Mr Berkman was spreading "misinformation" about the size of land needing to be cleared for the project.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones, speaking at a media launch in Brisbane on Thursday, did not answer a question about the project's ecotourism credentials but instead said it was a project approved by the council.

"At the moment my understanding is whilst there has been a decision as the mayor has talked about from SARA, there is still state government decision-making by Anthony Lynham in regards to natural resource management from the Land Management Act, so that's still to be decided," she said.

Concerns about the habitat of powerful owls, particularly a nesting pair in the area of the proposed zipline, had earlier forced the council to request further assessments on the potential impacts, particularly around the use of helicopters during construction.

A new report concluded helicopters should be limited during the owls' May-September breeding season, although most construction work would be more than 100 metres away from the owls' nesting tree.

Community members who had lodged submissions about the zipline project since public consultation opened last week cited issues such as native flora and fauna for their opposition to the project.

Cr Quirk said the zipline project was part of a council vision to create “iconic” attractions around Brisbane to keep tourism dollars flowing into south-east Queensland.

“The zipline should attract about 350,000 visitors a year and generate about 112 new jobs,” he said.

“It has been conservatively estimated around 11,000 to 15,000 people will spend an additional hour in the Mt Coot-tha precinct with the increased amenity associated with the zipline.”

The proposal features a canopy zipline of 1.2 kilometres and a separate 1.1-kilometre scenic zipline from the summit of Mt Coot-tha into the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.

Brisbane City Council allocated $717,000 in this year’s budget for the zipline and a further $423,000 in the forward estimates for 2019-20.