Chris Pearse and Greg Watts announce candidacy for Fraser Coast council

Two new candidates have put their hands up to run for the Fraser Coast council this year, including one who is a strong opponent of a proposed 21-storey development in Hervey Bay.

Chris Pearse, standing for Division 6 for the Fraser Coast Regional Council, had been an outspoken opponent of the 21-storey tower development proposed for Torquay.

An outspoken opponent of the 21-storey development proposed to be built on the Esplanade at Torquay has announced his candidacy for Division 6 for the Fraser Coast Regional Council.

Point Vernon’s Chris Pearse has repeatedly spoken out against the proposed development, which he said would not be “in sync” with the character and ambience of the Esplanade.

“It would dwarf and shade its surroundings,” Mr Pearse said.

He said the reason Torquay and Scarness were so appealing to people was because of the lack of high rises and high density buildings in the area.

A development application to build 21-storey “twin towers” and luxury surrounds at 408-412 the Esplanade, Torquay, was lodged last year.

Located there now is budget accommodation provider Buzzers, the three-year-empty Smoke ‘n’ Leather nightclub and surrounding units which were known as The Hub all the way back to Freshwater St.

If approved, the development would not only be the first of its height for the Fraser Coast but would also dwarf Oaks Resort (originally Peppers Pier Resort) which in its sprawling six-storey glory has been a distinctive Hervey Bay landmark since 2006.

Mr Pearse said if he was elected, he would advocate for greater community engagement, transparency and accountability, ensuring council rates did not exceed CPI, solutions to traffic congestion, provision of wildlife corridors and initiating tree planting projects.

Chris Pearse is running as a Fraser Coast council candidate.

He said he wanted investigations into long-term infrastructure requirements and solutions for potable and wastewater to meet the requirements of the rapidly growing region.

Mr Pearse said he had lived in Darwin for 30 years, working as an instrument fitter and hydrographic technician for water resources and a biomedical engineering technician working at the Royal Darwin Hospital.

In 2010 he moved to Rockhampton, working at the Mater Hospital as a biomedical engineer until he retired in 2017.

In 2020 Mr Pearse moved to Hervey Bay, where he said he had come to enjoy the “relaxed lifestyle of the bay”.

“I have made many good friends here and appreciate what the Fraser Coast region has to offer,” he said.

“If elected, my one and only job, my focus will be that of councillor for Division 6 and for the wider Fraser Coast community and region.

“I will strive to apply common sense ethical principles and to be accessible and available to so that the community can always come to me with their concerns.

“I will strive to always involved the community in decision making processes and to always act in the best interest of the community.”

Greg Watts is running as a Fraser Coast council candidate.

Meanwhile Gregory Watts has also announced his candidacy for the Fraser Coast council.

He said he was running for Division 9 and would “strongly advocate for the ratepayers in the Hervey Bay area” if he was to be elected.

“I am now already involved in talking with ratepayers, to find out what their main interests and concerns may be,” he said.

Among concerns that had been raised were lack of footpaths, which made it harder for the elderly to walk to shops and other facilities, increasing traffic, the availability of dog parks, concerns over youth crime and water supply.

“I will endeavour to continue to meet with as many people in Division 9 as I can to gain a good appreciation of their views,” he said.

Mr Watts is a retired medical scientist, who managed a pathology laboratory.

“This has given me great experience in budgeting, looking for efficiency gains and reading financial statements,” he said.

“I expect this will allow me to be useful in the council monitoring expenditure, and for budgeting for developments.”

Mr Watts had been married to his wife Judi for 43 years.

It comes as several others announced their candidacy for the council elections, including former councillor Rolf Light, who will run for Division 10, Sara Faraj, who will stand for Division 9, Michelle Byrne who will run for Division 1 and Andrew Broad, a conservative politician who previously served as a Nationals MP for the Victorian seat of Mallee.

Division 9 councillor David Lee was last year announced as the LNP candidate to run against incumbent Labor Hervey Bay MP Adrian Tantari in October 2024, and will not contest the local government election.

Division 6 councillor David Lewis announced his retirement, while Division 5 councillor Jade Wellings confirmed she would not stand at the next election.