Fears Palm Beach is in danger of overdevelopment as Gold Coast councillor warning suburb will lose its charm
HUNDREDS of apartments are on the cards for this seaside Coast suburb as developers put its empty blocks in the crosshairs of the latest wave of building approvals. The spike in development applications has locals fearing the area will ‘lose its charm’.
Council
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ONE of the city’s longest-serving councillors says the town plan should be “thrown in the bin” to stop tranquil suburbs such as Palm Beach being turned into concrete canyons.
Councillor Daphne McDonald says the council and State Government are going too far in endorsing bulky developments and urged disgruntled residents to be vocal against projects that exceeded height and density limits.
“The town plan is not worth having,” Cr McDonald said. “If we keep giving developers these relaxations it will just be a canyon between the high-rises when you drive into Palm Beach.
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“The town plan should be thrown in the bin and started again from scratch. The consequences of these higher densities and heights will be quite dramatic in 10 years across the city.
“When I first got into council (28 years ago) they would allow a higher building, but in return the developer would have to reduce the density. Now it’s up and out.”
Cr McDonald said the continued approval of projects exceeding the city plan in Palm Beach was threatening to wreck the family character of the seaside suburb.
Applications to build 10 apartment or duplex projects have been lodged in the past year and families are bracing for many more as developers try and stay ahead of the light rail wave.
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Cr McDonald said although everyone had the right to develop their land, she was against buildings being approved that exceeded local planning guidelines.
However, under a State Government push for cities to develop “up and not out’’, she said such developments could be approved under the Planning Act.
Under the act, councils assess developments on a performance basis, allowing for acceptable variations to the guidelines.
A council spokesman said all residents and councillors were consulted for two years as the city plan was drafted.
“It went live in February 2016,” the spokesman said.
“A performance-based scheme means that we look at every application on its merits.
“Different applications have different levels of assessment.
“The higher the impact to the surrounding neighbourhood, the harder the assessment.
“If impacts cannot be mitigated, minimised or avoided, an application would be refused.”
Applications were also assessed by the planning department, the planning committee and then the full council, where Cr McDonald had an opportunity to speak before councillors voted for or against.
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Cr McDonald said the exceptions were going too far in Palm Beach, where the city plan height limit is between two and seven storeys.
“They are saying they are meeting the acceptable outcomes but I have to question when you have an application that comes in that’s not meeting the setback requirements, not meeting the communal open space requirements, (and) doesn’t meet the parking requirements when density is already a big problem in Palm Beach,” she said.
“The concern in the community, and it is my concern too, is when all of these developments start pushing the boundaries and when we see densities that are three times what are recommended under the town plan, that is an issue.
“It is happening because of the push for the light rail down here and because (the State) want high-density developments that follow the light rail route.
“It happened in Broadbeach and now it is happening here.”
Palm Beach resident Logan Hurford lives next door to a construction site which will soon be a new nine-storey, 51-unit building.
He said the development, which would exceed the area’s height limit by four storeys, would mean his house would be in the shadows all morning.
“I always liked Palmy. I bought a family home in 2011 and did up the inside and I’m slowly doing up the outside.
“Everything was really nice. Neighbours are all involved in bringing up the kids and are bringing over toys.
“It is too big for what the area is. It is an urban area where you raise families and now we will have 100 people looking into our back garden.
“I don’t think it is right that developers are profiting at the expense of mum and dad property owners.”
Multiple dwelling applications for Palm Beach over the past 12 months:
* 9 Nyrang Ave: 12 units
* 16-20 Seventh Ave: 11x 1 bedroom units/ 22x2 bedroom unit/ 32x3 bedroom units
* 1 Twenty Fifth Ave: 16x3 bedroom units
* 488 The Esplanade: 39 units
* 1457 Gold Coast Hwy: 10 units
* 1073-1077 Gold Coast Hwy: 39 units
* 7 Twenty Fourth Ave: 51 units
* 418 The Esplanade: 15 units
* 45 Twenty Sixth Ave: Six duplexes
* 1293-1299 Gold Coast Hwy: 11 storeys, 177 units.
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