Ray Stevens blasts Gold Coast City Council plan for ‘sardine city’ high rise plan
Veteran MP Ray Stevens opposes council’s plan for high rise towers in beachfront suburbs. Here’s where he wants them to be built instead.
Gold Coast
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Council must abandon plans to turn beachside suburbs into a “sardine city” of high rise towers and focus on low-cost accommodation around train hubs, State MP Ray Stevens has warned.
Residents living in the western suburbs must also learn to cope with a longer drive to the beach, he added.
In a speech to state parliament on the Gold Coast’s housing crisis, Mr Stevens has shocked council leaders and caused his close political mate Mayor Tom Tate to defend city council planning.
Residents at Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach, northern Miami and Burleigh, east of the highway, were very concerned about council’s focus on putting wall-to-wall high-rise apartments right across local residential streets, Mr Stevens said.
“We understand that there is a huge migration to the Gold Coast and there must be planning to accommodate this influx of people,” he said.
“However, turning the east side of the highway into sardine city, with multimillion dollar apartments that only the very rich can afford, is not the answer to providing affordable housing, which the city desperately needs.”
Colliers had found the average cost of new units was $2m, Mr Stevens said.
Demographer Bernard Salt once told him that residents have to “learn to compartmentalise”.
“Which means in layman’s terms that if you live west or north of the city it will be a very long day to get to the beach,” Mr Stevens said.
Mr Tate described Mr Salt as a “wonderful supporter of the planned growth of our city” – but he took aim at some of Mr Stevens’ criticisms of council.
“I’m disappointed that Ray is so negative about residents in our northern and western suburbs being able to have a beach experience,” Mr Tate said.
“The beach is not just for those wealthy enough to live within walking distance, it is for all locals and visitors and the city puts a lot of funds into keeping our beaches in first rate order as we have seen since Cyclone Alfred.
“People should be able to utilise our beach assets no matter where they live in the city. That’s why we’re determined to deliver the east-west connections to the light rail and I am pleased to see that priority identified by the state as part of 2032 Olympic planning.”
Mr Stevens said he supported developing 10,000 hectares of farmland in the city’s north.
“Couple that with several nodes of transport-oriented development of affordable housing around train stations and we will have a viable development program for the many thousands of people who want to make the Gold Coast home,” he said.
“While it’s easy for developers to sell multimillion dollar apartments with views of the fantastic beachfront, the city council should focus on providing affordable units in high-rise developments around train stations known as transport-oriented development.
“Nerang, Helensvale and Coomera stations are the perfect locations for affordable unit development, and the development industry should focus their high-rise aspirations on those areas for the betterment of the city to avoid clogged up roads and street parking fiascos.”
Studies which look at new “neighbourhood frameworks” show 15,000 dwellings can be constructed in Miami and at Nobbys Beach.
They say the estimates are “conservative”.
City planning chair Mark Hammel late last year called on the then-Labor state government to investigate using its powerful planning powers to fast track unit builds on the tram corridor.
Mr Stevens said his community understood some medium density high-rise along the highway and light rail Stage 3 was an acceptable outcome.
“However, the area between the highway and the beachfront is an area they bought into because of the low-rise amenity and current peaceful tranquillity, and they do not want that changed,” he said.
“I support them wholeheartedly. I will do everything I can to reach a sustainable and acceptable outcome for the area that is prime Gold Coast real estate.
“With population projections forecasting over a million people on the Gold Coast by 2042, we do not want to see highway gridlock and street parking chaos as the outcomes of our short-term, sugar hit development solutions.”
Mr Tate said City Plan debate had led to record consultation including a neighbourhood study with multiple stakeholders over two years.
“Through this consultation we have been able to weigh up residents’ concerns and there is over 65 per cent support for proposed growth opportunities,” he said.
“The entire light rail project, including Stage 3, has always been about the three tiers of government looking at value uplift and saving money on infrastructure.
“Ray has never been supportive of the Oceanway or the light rail, but that’s what democracy is about.
“As Mayor of the city, since being elected in 2012, I’ve supported the things that benefit the majority of Gold Coasters, not just narrow political interests.”
Mr Tate said he supported more affordable housing around train stations but that was the responsibility of the state government.
“I’m not opposed to Ray’s plan for more density around train stations and light rail stations so it’s a good opportunity for him to lobby his colleagues, including Housing Minister (Sam) O’Connor,” he said.
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