Gold Coast Italo-Australian Club launches campaign to lease massive landholding in Clear Island Waters

The 42-year-old Gold Coast Italo-Australian Club is taking another shot at leasing part of its prime landholding in Clear Island Waters as it seeks a fresh injection of cash.

The Gold Coast Italo-Australian Club in Clear Island Waters is launching a campaign to lease land and a building opposite Sunland’s The Lakes development, at one of the Coast’s busiest intersections.

THE 42-year-old Gold Coast Italo-Australian Club is taking another shot at leasing part of its prime landholding in Clear Island Waters as it seeks a fresh injection of cash.

The club has engaged Avanti Commercial’s Lachlan Harris and Mason Kidman to seek a tenant for its 520sq m recreation shed and a developer to build on 9500sq m of land on the corner of Bermuda St and Broadbeach-Nerang Rd.

It follows the Oak Tree group backing out of building a retirement village at the club, which ran into stiff opposition from the Catholic Church, which has a primary school and parish nearby in Fairway Drive.

The offer includes a lease of up to 99 years for the land fronting Bermuda St, with the successful tenant expected to seek approval for its project from the council as well as design and construct a facility to requirements agreed to by the club.

The Oak Tree retirement project that was planned for the Italo-Australian Club site at Clear Island Waters. Photo: Supplied

The land is located in the sport and recreation precinct and includes several of the club’s sporting fields.

Mr Harris and Mr Kidman said it was prime land, opposite Sunland’s The Lakes development, at one of the Gold Coast’s busiest intersections. Access to the proposed development would be off Fairway Drive.

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The Avanti agents said it would suit a range of developments including childcare, aged care, and sport and recreation.

“This is one of the best infill sites on the Gold Coast,” Mr Harris said.

“There are different land-lease options and we believe it will attract a large amount of attention from various development groups and be contested heavily in the marketplace as it is a rare offer.”

The Gold Coast Italo-Australian Club is suffering from falling membership. Picture: Mike Batterham

The recreation shed at the corner of the club’s 3.86ha landholding is approved for education use.

The lease is available for 520sq m of vacancy in the shed, which is home to a Queensland Government education group, including a fitted-out room with lighting and airconditioning, and 1200sq m of land next to the building.

The land could be used for a design and construction project.

Surfers Paradise Parish priest Peter Dillon said the Church would “not necessarily” be opposed to any proposed development on club land and would wait to see more detail.

The Gold Coast Italo-Australian Club in Clear Island Waters is launching a campaign to lease land and a building at its 3.86ha site.

He said the Church’s main reason for opposing the Oak Tree development was the impact on traffic on Fairway Drive, where the primary school is located.

“That (Fairway Drive) was going to be the only street access,” he said.

Gold Coast Italo-Australian Club president George Bettega said the club was too big for its current level of membership.

“Between council rates, insurance, and fees, the club, for the amount of people, it is too big,” he said.

Mr Bettega said it was seeking interest from developers, which may end in the sale or lease of the land.

He said the club did not have the resources to resolve the traffic issue via an entrance off Bermuda St.

“But we think big companies (such as Woolworths) can do an entrance like the Q Super Centre, they can do it from Bermuda St.”

The Gold Coast Italo-Australian Club was founded on June 10, 1976 with 27 members. Its facilities include a restaurant, Fiorino’s, which has an outdoor terrace overlooking Bermuda St.

It also has bocce courts, provides a venue for the Dante Alighieri Society, which teaches Italian, and has function rooms for available for hire.