Black Swan Lake dead in the water after last minute peace deal fails
The Gold Coast Bulletin can reveal a compromise deal was being brokered behind the scenes to save part of Black Swan Lake at the last minute – but protesters have rejected the terms.
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A LAST-MINUTE deal to save a remaining small section of Black Swan Lake has failed.
An email trail shows a resident tried to mediate between Wildlife Queensland Gold Coast and Gold Coast Turf Club officials in the past few days in a desperate bid to save the remaining corner section of the so-called Bundall “borrow pit”.
The Bulletin can reveal the deal collapsed because the environmental group would not accept the Turf Club’s terms to enter into negotiations.
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An email from Wildlife Queensland Gold Coast president Sally Spain to officials said: “We would be willing to attend a negotiation with a view to preserving the small remainder of the lake if it is viable, for the benefit of the creatures who live there.
“However, having sought advice, we cannot support an agreement that pre-empts the process of negotiation.”
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The group would have had to agree to the following terms:
● That to the best of their knowledge the GCTC had fully complied with all relevant approvals and protocols to fill the site
● The Aquis Group has nothing to do with the site.
● Acknowledge that the primary use will be a green space for horses and an overflow carpark several times a year
● Acknowledge that Coastal Tipper Hire was not the contractor engaged to fill the site. A site notice showed who the contractors were.
● Acknowledge that there are no plans to build on this site.
● Acknowledge that there has been “a lot of rumour and false innuendo around the filling of the Borrow Pit and the conduct on social media by some areas of the public was hostile and inappropriate”.
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Turf Club chairman Brett Cook confirmed a resident, eager for a compromise, approached the club in good faith to consider “leaving the back left hand corner open”.
“For us to consider that the protest groups needed to acknowledge some facts. Their web pages are full of false accusations that is why we wanted clarity,” he said.
Latest aerial photographs show at least 80 per cent of the lake is full with the Turf Club saying it must fill in the right hand section.
“For logistic reasons we can’t leave that bit on the right hand side. The left hand side, we could consider. But I can’t talk sense to anyone. I’m putting the cue in the rack,” Mr Cook said.
Ms Spain has announced a media conference to talk about the failed deal would be staged at the lake starting at 11am today.
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