They have now formed an alliance calling for an overhaul of planning legislation in Queensland.

Changes to Queensland’s planning legislation were tabled in State Parliament as a bill in September 2018.

However the South-East Queensland Alliance claims many areas in the south-east are still being over-developed and councils are regularly approving developments that are more intensive and far taller than their own planning allows.

The Alliance’s convenor is Gold Coast community development worker and wildlife advocate Lois Levy AM, from the Gold Coast Environment Council, Gecko.

The Alliance said councils too frequently “close” public council meetings, telling ratepayers planning issues must be discussed privately because they are “commercial in confidence.”

Ms Levy said the current legislation favours developers over citizens.

“The current laws allow far too many relaxations of planning scheme requirements with no perceivable community benefit,” she said.

“The result is apartment blocks over height limits, increased density, no setbacks to enable landscaping, car stackers instead of parking, and no consideration of cumulative impact in neighbourhoods."

Development applications too easily sidestep community concerns and bushland habitat is too easily cleared in south-east Queensland, the group says.

It also believes Operation Belcarra – which investigated claims of corruption in four south-east Queensland councils – needs follow-up.

“A state that has four councils being investigated by the Crime and Corruption Commission has a problem,” she said.

Ms Levy said the South East Queensland Alliance did not oppose development.

“We don’t object to development if it follows the rules,” Ms Levy said.

“It is when it does not follow the rules, that we have strong objections."

Kirsty Chessher-Brown, chief executive of the Queensland division of the Urban Design Institute of Australia, acknowledged there was a problem.

“Queensland’s planning system is complex and we recognise the need for better communication with the community about development and the associated approval processes,” she said.

“The UDIA Queensland, through its Research Foundation, is working to establish how we can all communicate better with the community about performance-based outcomes.”

Ms Levy said the slow pace of reform since the 2017 report from the Koala Expert Panel was telling, but “simply one example”.

“Koalas are dying in droves down here (Gold Coast),” she said.

“We have had 500 koalas admitted to the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital in the past 12 months,” she said.

“It is an absolute crisis and yet nothing – literally nothing – is being done.”

Currumbin Wildlife Hospital received only 25 koalas in 2008, senior veterinarian Dr Michael Pyne said.

He said it now costs the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary $3 million per year to treat the 500 koalas – $6000 per koala.

One of the recommendations of the 2017 koala report was an overhaul of Queensland’s State Planning Policy.

Ms Levy said the formation of the new Koala Advisory Committee in December 2018 was “nice”, but questioned how effective it would be, given earlier examples had stalled.

The alliance includes Brisbane Residents United, the Sunshine Coast Environment Council, Redlands 2030, the Organisation of Sunshine Coast Associations of Residents (OSCAR), Gecko and the Brisbane Regional Environment Centre.

Already more than 5300 people have signed the group’s first e-petition to the Queensland Parliament calling for change.

Ms Levy said the group had recently met with Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe and one of State Development Minister Cameron Dick’s strategic policy advisors.

State Development Minister Cameron Dick said on Friday the pressure should be placed back on local councils.

“Councils are best placed to make development decisions for their local area as they have planned for and consulted with the community about the community’s needs and aspirations for the future of their area,” he said.

“Residents of south-east Queensland councils should be vigorous in holding local authorities to account for local development decisions.”

Brisbane Residents United representative Elizabeth Handley joined the new South-East Queensland Alliance when her Brisbane group could not get an appointment with a government representative.

“The gatekeepers in government just make it increasingly difficult for community groups to speak with representatives in government,” Ms Handley said.

“Getting an appointment with Jackie Trad (previously Local Government and Planning Minister), proved to be absolutely impossible,” she said.

Ms Chessher-Brown said south-east Queensland’s population would grow by almost 2 million people over the next 25 years.

“As a community we have a responsibility to plan and facilitate this population growth,” she said.

She said the planning process to allow applicants to submit an application “which responds to the specific characteristics of each individual site.”

Councils then either approved, or rejected applications on their merits, she said.