NightQuarter revival: ‘Pushed as hard as I could’

A Gold Coast MP fighting to have popular live music and dining venue NightQuarter revived at Southport says he’s been snubbed by the State Government.

A GOLD Coast MP fighting to have popular live music and dining venue NightQuarter revived at Southport says he’s been snubbed by the State Government.

Bonney MP Sam O’Connor said he “pushed as hard as I could” but ultimately “we weren’t able to save NightQuarter”.

He said State Development Minister Cameron Dick ignored his letter calling for the shuttered venue to be reopened on a spare block of land owned by the state off Smith St.

Bonney MP Sam O’Connor. Picture:/Steve Holland

“It had everything a venue like that would need. Great location, the best public transport connections, next to a university, all on a huge open space of state land that needs to be leased but is just sitting empty,” he said.

Early this year, NightQuarter owners Michelle Christoe and Ian Van der Woude said they were forced to vacate the venue’s home at Helensvale due to increasing rental costs.

NightQuarter’s final night at Helensvale. Picture: Supplied

In June, Theodore MP Mark Boothman said he believed NightQuarter could be saved by converting the former Big Brother compound in Coomera - which has since burnt to the ground in an alleged arson attack.

Mr O’Connor took to Facebook on Thursday night to provide an update on the much-loved space.

“The owners were getting nowhere with the government body in charge of the land so I wrote to the Minister on 21 February,” he said.

“Minister (Cameron) Dick didn’t even bother to get back to me.”

SUBSCRIBE TO THE BULLETIN FOR $1 A WEEK FOR THE FIRST 12 WEEKS

Mr O’Connor said he has unsuccessfully raised the issue in Queensland Parliament.

“Minister Dick yelled out, or interjected, saying something like ‘you wanted to put a nightclub in there, it’s for health and knowledge’,” he said.

State Development Minister Cameron Dick. Picture: AAP Image/Darren England

“Last time I checked, NightQuarter wasn’t a nightclub. It’s a little bit different to that.

“Also, last time I checked the block of land it could have gone on was still empty.

“Surely the Government would rather bring in some lease revenue than none? You could easily move market operation like this on if a bigger tenant came along.”

Mr O’Connor said using the Smith St site could be a “great opportunity” to open and promote the Southport Health and Knowledge Precinct to the public.

NightQuarter’s website states it’s “temporarily closed” while organisers find a new home.

“Anyway, unfortunately I think that’s it. I pushed it as hard as I could but we weren’t able to save NightQuarter,” he said.

Mr Dick told the Bulletin the State Government “declined NightQuarter’s request for a significant financial contribution to locate their business in the Health & Knowledge Precinct”.

“This was the unanimous position of the Gold Coast City Council, the Gold Coast Hospital & Health Service, and Griffith University,” he said.

“We encourage them to look at locations to run their business in an appropriately zoned area.”

A petition to ‘Save NightQuarter at Helensvale’ online at Change.org has nearly 20,000 signatures.