Gold Coast developer Norm Rix pushes for the city’s northern cane fields to be redeveloped to house city’s growing population

SUGAR cane fields at the northern tip of the Gold Coast must be developed for the city to grow, according to one of the city’s biggest land owners.

SUGAR cane fields at the northern tip of the Gold Coast must be developed for the city to grow, according to veteran developer Norm Rix.

Mr Rix, 83, spoke to the Gold Coast Bulletin for the launch of a series about our biggest landowners, which will culminate on Friday with the publication of a comprehensive list with the landowners’ holdings, and the value of their land.

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One of the Coast’s cane fields.

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Mr Rix said the Gold Coast must unlock the value of the land to the north to grow.

“There are thousands of hectares of land out there in the cane fields to the north,” he said.

“The Gold Coast must expand to the north but you can’t buy in there because no masterplanning has been done.

“If we opened up all the canefield land, and the farmers want to get out, because the sugar industry is so tough, that is the way the Gold Coast can expand.”

Chinese company Songcheng has struck a deal with cane farmers to buy 6117ha of land at the Norwell Valley, where it is planning a $1 billion city development.

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Developer Norm Rix. Picture: Jerad Williams

The plans are subject to approval from the Gold Coast City Council and Queensland Government, as the area is zoned rural under the Gold Coast City Plan, and would require rezoning before Songcheng’s plans could proceed.

Mr Rix is well placed to talk about development and land ownership.

He started working in the real estate industry when he was 22 and has a career spanning nearly six decades.

The Gold Coast has a long history of sugar cane farming.

He has developed Coomera Grand and Ashmore City, among other assets, and is currently putting the finishing touches on the $100 million Pimpama City — a 18,000/sqm shopping centre on a 16ha site on Pimpama-Jacobs Well Rd.

He also has major plans for a residential development at Amity Rd, Coomera, where he has more than 18ha of land.

Mr Rix said the key to buying land was to look ahead to where the population will grow.

“The secret to making money is always in the buying, never in the sale.”

Mr Rix developed Ashmore City.

He said he is most proud of his latest development — Pimpama City.

“We bought Pimpama City at a public auction. At that time it was zoned rural and was low-lying land. People said I had lost my marbles and asked, ‘Why would you want to do that?’

“But I persevered and spent a lot of money over a number of years building the land up, and getting the zoning correct.

“Now there is this magnificent site that is Pimpama City. That is something nobody even wanted. It will open at the end of September and that is something I am very proud of.”