Why developer Rob Carr didn’t meet with the community about proposed Emu Park high-rise project

There was a lot of feeling in the room when the man behind plans to build a six-storey unit complex that would change the face of Emu Park was hit with some hard questions. Here’s how he responded.

Community members against a proposed six-storey unit complex being built at Emu Park wanted to ask questions ahead of a big decision on the project’s future on Tuesday, but that task was left to councillors.

The man in the firing line at Livingstone Shire Council’s May meeting was the businessman behind the controversial Emu Park Apartments project, developer Rob Carr, who had plans to transform the skyline at the Capricorn Coast seaside village.

Mr Carr was part of a deputation at the meeting which was heard by councillors and members of the community who were seated in the public gallery of council’s chambers.

The deputation was followed by the council deciding whether or not to approve a development application for Mr Carr’s project and the majority of councillors ultimately voted against it.

It was clear throughout both the deputation and the proceedings which followed that most of the dozen or so people sitting in the public gallery were those who opposed Mr Carr’s project in its current form, with the six-storey height being their main gripe.

Developer Rob Carr.

At one point during the process which followed the deputation, and with council’s officers at the table, a member of the public asked whether they could ask a question and that was knocked on the head by Mayor Andy Ireland who ensured correct procedures were followed.

Later the mayor, after consultation with and input from all councillors at the table, allowed one representative from the public gallery to speak “for” the development and one representative to speak “against” it, in what appeared to those viewing, many by livestream, to be a very fair and well handled move.

It was earlier during the deputation that councillors asked questions of Mr Carr.

Cr Glenda Mather.

First cab off the rank was Cr Glenda Mather who said “thank you for continuing to have faith and invest(ing) in our area” before going on to ask:

“Being a local boy, you would be familiar with the feelings of the Emu Park people and there’s not a lot of development that’s happened down there - that’s been approved but never progressed in the Emu Park area for one reason or another,” Cr Mather said.

“Given the number of submitors that you alluded to, and we’ve read probably most of those, there’s a common theme that they want to keep it in to a village atmosphere - that’s beside the point, nothing stands still as we both know.

“Had you considered meeting with the people and sort of having an open day, and say ‘come on we’ll tell you all about it’ and get them on board early in the piece? I mean it’s not unheard of.”

Mr Carr responded: “No, I understand.

“We ah, I listened to written reports, the submitors. And I thought I could get it out of that submission, those submissions, what I would have got at a meeting.

“And I thought I didn’t want to, I suppose I like to do things in private, get things done and present.

“And that’s why I chose to do that.”

Cr Andrea Friend.

Cr Andrea Friend asked: “...back in 2016 to 2018 when the Planning Scheme was accepted, there was a great amount of community consultation and the community overwhelmingly said they only wanted four storeys.

“And in doing so, that was well accepted. I suppose my question to you is that, when in your preliminary discussions with the council officers, was this brought up to you?

“And had you considered a development of that height? I understand that you’re developers and I understand that you know, you need to regain and recoup the funds that you’re putting into this.

“However was that any consideration to keep it to the four storeys?

“I’m not saying that I disagree and I’m not saying that the code is wrong because the code is the code, but the average person on the street, including myself, even as a councillor who have had 10 years of council experience as an officer, don’t quite understand town planning, and development and codes etc.

“So was that ever a consideration of keeping it to the four storeys because I believe that is the contentious issue here from most of the people in Emu Park?”

Mr Carr started to respond immediately but his response was drowned out by clapping from people in the public gallery who were obviously applauding Cr Friend’s question.

A concept image of the development which had been proposed for the corner of Pattison, Granville and Archer Streets, Emu Park. Pictured (inset) is the public notification sign.

When the clapping stopped, Mr Carr said: “As a developer, you look at opportunity and, when I purchased that land I looked at the town plan.

“There was a low/medium rise mentioned in that area. And I think anyone who looks at the town plan, it should be in layman’s terms so the layman can walk in, look at the plan and say ‘oh, this is what I can do’.

“It’s performance based mind you.

“So that’s what sort of triggered me.

“It wasn’t the full story. I looked at it and I said that there’s an opportunity here - it’s low to medium rise. Medium rise is defined as six floors in the plan. So I went that way.

“And at first call I went to seven floors and I took the feedback about the height which we reduced that back to six.

“But that’s where I stood.”