Ms Dunn is a fauna spotter and said the new development was too dense. "My take-home message is the LNP ignores the local plans and won't reinforce local covenants," Ms Dunn said. She said there were 32 fewer bird species at The Gap now than 30 years ago. "What we are seeing is a loss of biodiversity across Brisbane because we are not doing enough to protect them," she said. The planned suburb – between Upper Kedron and The Gap – will be built on about 227 hectares of cattle scrub and bushland, at a density of about 7.5 dwellings per hectare, almost half the density of the original plan.

Until last Tuesday, 1350 homes – including some townhouses - were to be built on the 227 hectare site, where 90 hectares will be preserved and restored as bushland. In the past five months, concerns about traffic congestion, road access to Mt Nebo Road, the impact on koalas and the need for extra traffic lights on the Upper Kedron side of the development have been raised. After almost three hours of debate - which covered donations to the LNP, accusations of Labor "staging" concerns to aid Kate Jones' bid for re-election in Ashgrove and complex arguments over whether the original local plan for the area (the 2007 Ferny Grove and Upper Kedron local plan) was trampled - Brisbane's newest suburb was approved. The proposal also survived last-minute amendments ordered by the state government – which the council does not have the power to over-rule – demanding the development revert back to state government integrated planning guidelines for public transport, bushfire tracks and vegetation clearing – rather than the recommendations from the developer's town planning team. Labor tried to use the last-minute amendments to delay the approval, but lost that vote.

"This is an appalling abuse of power," Opposition Leader Cr Milton Dick said. Neighbourhood Planning Committee chair Amanda Cooper said the changes simply had to be made. "Council has no choice or decision in this matter," she said. The council was told by Cr Dick said the original land owner, Ian McAllister, and his wife Joy, made five legal donations totalling $12,200 to the Liberal National Party from November 2011 to November 2013 before he signed an infrastructure agreement with BCC on February 27, 2014. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk met with the developer, Cedar Woods, in Melbourne the next day, February 28, 2014, when Cr Quirk was at a business venture organised by Brisbane Marketing.

Earlier Cr Quirk said the previous Labor state government's own regional plan wanted "20,000 homes in Upper Kedron." The language during the debate was colourful and frequently insulting – Labor's Shayne Sutton described the LNP's Cr Geraldine Knapp as "Judas", accusing her of selling out residents from The Gap, forcing council chair Margaret de Wit to demand Cr Sutton withdraw the comment. "It is my view that Cr Knapp sits in this chamber tonight as Judas sat on the Last Supper, as Judas the betrayer," Cr Sutton said. Cr de Wit told Cr Sutton her comments were "unsavoury". Cr Knapp angrily accused Cr Sutton of lying about the differences between the proposed development and the local plan, then said Cr Sutton's comments did not warrant a response.

Cr Sutton questioned the pace of the development and repeated comments about Cr Quirk supporting the plan, before it had been submitted to the council. "This would have to be one of the most controversial development applications this council has seen in my time in the past 10 years as a councillor in this place," Cr Sutton said. Cr Knapp said the ring of 90 hectares of bushland along Mt Nebo Road would protect the well-recognised koala pathways between the Keperra Saddle and D'Aguilar National Park. "The koala corridor is intact - and I don't care what anyone has to say - but that is the reality," Cr Knapp said. Cr Cooper warned Cr Dick several times that if he had any evidence of improper behaviour he must take it to the authorities.

Local councillor Andrew Wines said he supported the application once the more than 500 conditions were imposed. "I do not support townhouses in any form as part of this application and have sought specific conditions to ensure this does not occur as part of this approval," he said. Shane Bevis, who runs the controversial Save the Gap website, said it remained unclear why the council was changing the original local plan for the Upper Kedron area. Mr Bevis said it was clear that the 2007 Ferny Grove local plan had a larger area of green space – considered to be 140 hectares - than the newer plan, 92 hectares. "It is quite clear they are not following the local plan," Mr Bevis said.

"It is apparent to me that council – at the moment - is unwilling or unable to implement that local plan. "And I don't think they are being upfront with people about why it is they want to do something different." Also in the public gallery was Elizabeth Handley, from Toowong, who is now part of the local planning group, Brisbane Residents United. "These people are no longer representing the ratepayers of Brisbane, they are representing the LNP," she said. "And that is very poor."