A four unit development set to house NDIS clients has finally been given the greenlight after being tied up in court for 14 months.

The Planning and Environment Court in Brisbane handed down its judgment on Wednesday, January 10 where the judge sided with the developer after the Redland City Council halted construction over permit disputes.

The Redland City Council has spent a significant amount of ratepayer money fighting Boutique Capital Pty Ltd in court over the project, which was abruptly stopped nearly three quarters of the way through development.

This delay comes after it was revealed that several NDIS clients have been staying long-term at the Redland Hospital due to accommodation shortages.

State member for Capalaba and Chief Whip Don Brown MP said it was a disgrace the Redland City Council has held up vital NDIS housing and wasted ratepayer money on legal fees.

“These units, four units and two bedrooms each, were going to be for four NDIS clients (and their carers),” Mr Brown said.

“This has been held up by Redland City Council in court challenges for fourteen months and this Wednesday a judge handed down against the council, so they’ve lost,” he said.

“This project could have been done by now. The Redland City Council losing this case means they’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in ratepayers money just to lose this case to try and stop NDIS housing, while we’ve got patients in Redlands Hospital who can’t find adequate accommodation.

“This is an absolute disgrace. The Mayor should apologise to every single NDIS patient down in the Redland Hospital who can’t find accommodation .

“I’ve had a chat with the developer and they’re building another six units down at Redland Bay and that has been delayed as well while the company has been held up in court.”

This comes after the Queensland Labor Government amended the planning regulation to ensure NDIS accommodation was fast tracked.

“I’m glad the state legislation, which means to fast track this type of development, has won and it means that these four units and the six units down in Redland Bay are now going to be fast tracked and can get NDIS patients out of hospital and into accommodation,” he said.