Gold Coast development: Coomera housing plan stopped by council

A planned residential community in a marine precinct on the Coomera River has been stopped by council.

Gold Coast Marine Precinct at Coomera, home of the Gold Coast International Marine Expo

A PLANNED residential community in a marine precinct on the Coomera River has been stopped by council.

Citimark Properties Pty Ltd had sought a material change of use allowing for residential blocks on the second largest vacant site remaining in the Gold Coast Marine Precinct.

Proposed Beattie Road residential development in the marine precinct on the Coomera River on the Gold Coast.

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The 59ha site abuts the Coomera River for about 950m and has a 600m frontage to Beattie Road. It is 700m east of the heavy rail bridge and retains farm buildings built in 1896.

Approval was sought for 445 dwellings across 282 lots which complied with the acceptable outcome for density under the council’s City Plan.

In June, the council’s planning committee agreed to defer a recommendation until concerns about traffic impacts, water quality and hydrology were resolved.

Officers believe the traffic aspects could be resolved but not the hydraulic concerns because at least 46 “external parcels of land” would be impacted by flooding due to the development.

MAJOR STEP FORWARD FOR PROJECT AS NEW LAWS PASSED

Residential blocks proposed in development in the marine precinct on the Coomera River on the Gold Coast.

M1 OVERPASS NEEDED TO MAKE PROJECT A SUCCESS

At a full council meeting yesterday, the recommendation from officers was to refuse the development. Only councillors William Owen-Jones and Peter Young voted against that recommendation, both for different reasons.

Cr Young was concerned about council facing a future court appeal and losing because it had not provided more reasons for refusal other than flooding.

Cr Owen-Jones said he was a supporter of the marine industry but the heavy rail bridge formed an unnatural barrier to its extension west, and the River Links estate was opposite the site.

“I can’t support it as something for the marine industry. I think a residential outcome is superior,” he said.