Gold Coast residents pack community meeting, urged to make comment to city council

More than 200 residents have packed a community meeting tonight in what organisers described as a “stunning turnout” to discuss the council’s development plan.

THE Gold Coast has become a “Gotham City by the sea” due to poor development approvals by the council, a community meeting has been told.

More than 200 residents last night packed a meeting arranged by the Community Alliance — an association representing 15 local groups — at the Share n Care community centre at Tenth Avenue, Palm Beach.

GECKO founder Lois Levy at the start of the meeting described it as “a stunning turnout”.

Ms Levy estimated less than 80 submissions were made to the City Plan during the last round of consultation, and urged residents to make comment to council.

Cr Daphne McDonald handed out information to residents. Picture Glenn Hampson

Community Alliance president John Hicks said urban renewal was vital but must be of high quality.

“Regrettably, this is not the case under the current City Plan, which facilitates excessively relaxed development approvals,” he said.

“It seems our city is heading down a path more akin to Gotham City by-the-sea. We can and must do better.”

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The Community Alliance was not anti-business, anti-development or anti-growth, Mr Hicks said.

“We are pro-sustainable development. This means we expect our elected representatives on council to walk the talk and deliver balanced, triple bottom sustainability.”

President of ACE Community Alliance John Hicks addressed the crowd. Picture Glenn Hampson

Mr Hicks applauded area councillor Daphne McDonald for organising the community meeting.

“Councillor McDonald did request that council planners convene this community meeting and answer questions. That request was refused,” he said.

Cr McDonald in an update to residents said she had offered to fund an officer but that request was denied.

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A council spokesperson said the council was halfway through 14 consultation sessions on the City Plan and one at Palm Beach on the weekend had attracted about 100 residents.

Former City Architect Philip Follent in a presentation to the meeting said the problem for Palm Beach residents was density rather than height with some applications approved “two or three times the density overlay map”.

More than 200 members of Palm Beach community packed the meeting. Picture Glenn Hampson

“The reason has been (council) officers don’t believe all those developments will be taken up,” he said.

“What that unfortunately does is create an air of incredible speculation.”

Residents late last night were expected to back a motion which expressed “profound disappointment” that no community forum had been convened enabling council officers to brief residents.