Gold Coast council to sell major Nerang site for huge 2000-person housing hub
The Gold Coast’s gateway to the hinterland at Nerang is to get a “the once-in-a-generation opportunity” housing and economic boost with the City to sell a major asset.
The Gold Coast’s gateway to the hinterland at Nerang is to get a “the once-in-a-generation opportunity” housing and economic boost with the City to sell a major asset.
But the finer details of the future redevelopment of the huge Nerang Administration Centre site depends on residents giving it the green light.
Councillor Peter Young will release designs at a town hall meeting at the site on Wednesday.
The former home of the Albert Shire Council, which includes a much loved and used Bicentennial Hall, will be demolished in a deal which will see housing provided for up to 2000 people, many of them retirees or residents seeking low cost alternatives.
New community facilities will be located on the cleared site of the old Town and Country Inn, famous for the bizarre Fairlie Arrow kidnapping case, and now owned by council.
Mr Young is supportive of the Hinterland Gateway Community Hub, realising it will boost housing, community facilities and add to Nerang’s commercial heart, located a few blocks west.
“I’m very grateful to the CEO (Tim Baker) and council for their strong support of beneficial outcomes for the community of Nerang and hinterland areas,” he said.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and I urge people to come along to the public meeting and provide their input.”
Plans obtained by this masthead show the amphitheatre and new hall would be fronting the Nerang-Southport Road.
They will be shown at the meeting starting at 6pm.
“It’s intended that the administration site will be put to the best and highest possible future use, which is intended to be a substantial community facility and housing,” Mr Young said.
“The existing Bicentennial Centre will be demolished after delivery of the new community facility, and the land it is on will be part of that redevelopment.
“The new community facility is intended for the old Town and Country Motel site, which council has purchased.”
Asked if the administration site would be sold or leased to a developer, Mr Young said the details had yet to to be finalised.
“The land will be sold and a component of the transaction will be delivery of the community facilities, before the Bicentennial hall is removed. I imagine council would be a lessee of the community facilities for some time,” he said.
“Those details are still subject to interrogation and advice from Invest Gold Coast.”
No costings have been determined as the scale and features of the new facilities are yet to be fully developed.
“Those aspects will be strongly guided by the community input during the public meeting and community feedback under way now,” Mr Young said.
“Our ambition is to deliver this new facility within a few years and at zero cost to ratepayers.
“Council expects all of the current facilities in the Bicentennial Centre to be delivered in the new facility, these being a large auditorium, meeting rooms, evacuation centre, public facilities, and dedicated spaces for the Gold Coast Family History Society and Australia Day Foundation — both long term tenants in the Bicentennial.”
Mr Young said there would be a strong focus on delivering quality housing stock including affordable private housing, build-to-rent, and retirement living.
“These additional residents will enjoy all the great features and facilities in Nerang and in turn will contribute to the economic sustainability of the town,” he said.
The Administration Centre has been cleared of staff, with many council employees moving to the City’s Bundall precinct as part of a new accommodation plan.
The Nerang site is up to 10 hectares and the plans will see all bushland to the north remain.
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Originally published as Gold Coast council to sell major Nerang site for huge 2000-person housing hub
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