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Internal Gold Coast council report warns of congestion problems as councillors meet to vote on Mariner’s Cove

COUNCILLORS have agreed to defer a decision on the Sunland project at Mariner’s Cove. Follow the meeting live here with our blog.

Paul Weston and Lea Emery
8 min read
September 15, 2016 - 6:09PM
Gold Coast Bulletin
Gold Coast City Council protest

4.42PM

COUNCILLORS have agreed to defer a decision on the Sunland project at Mariner’s Cove.

A majority of councillors supported the motion by Mayor Tom Tate.

Those who voted against were Dawn Crichlow, Pauline Young and Daphne McDonald. Peter Young abstained from voting.

4.35PM

SURFERS Paradise-based city councillor Gary Baildon believes the Mariner’s Cove project has merit but was in the wrong place.

He accused the State Government of “not showing its hand” by converting the lease at The Spit from commercial to residential.

Cr Baildon said he had confidence that there would be no development on The Spit north of the Nara Resort.

4.30PM

COUNCILLOR Peter Young is concerned about deferring a decision on the Mariner’s Cove development.

He believes deferring a vote by councillors sends the wrong messages about the city’s confidence in the City Plan.

“We should keep have been supporting our officers and their recommendations,” he said.

4.22PM

MAYOR Tom Tate has been accused of trying to defer the vote on the Sunland development because he does not have the numbers.

Save Our Broadwater spokeswoman Judy Spence said she felt the only reason Cr Tate had moved to have the controversial development deferred was because he was not able to get the support within council.

“He is trying to buy some time to change the plan so the Sunland development can get up,” she said.

Main Beach Association president David Hutley said he supported Ms Spence’s position.

“I don’t think Tom Tate had the numbers to get the development approved,” he said.

Cr Tate earlier moved a motion to have the development deferred in order to get more information from the state government and work on a master plan for The Spit.

The meeting had moved into a closed session in order to councillors to receive legal advice about the ramifications of deferring the vote.

The meeting has now reopened after about 15 minutes of discussion behind closed doors.

About 100 people turned up to watch the meeting but numbers have fettered out as proceedings progressed.

The council meeting has now been running for more than three hours.

Discussion regarding The Spit development have been running for more than an hour and councillors do not appear to be close to voting for Cr Tate’s motion.

3.55PM

COUNCIL has gone to closed session to seek legal advice from city solicitor David Montgomery over the Mariner project.

Councillor Peter Young, who has major concerns about the project, has asked about the consequences of councillors voting for a motion by Mayor Tom Tate.

Councillor Tate believes a decision on the project should be deferred until the council talks with the State Government about a plan for The Spit.

Cr Young wants to know what legal impact there would be for ratepayers if the application was deferred.

Councillors are expected to be provided with legal opinion behind closed doors.

3.44PM

DEPUTY Mayor Donna Gates says the Mariner’s Cove development is a world quality project which she supports.

But Councillor Gates said she would have had to follow the officer’s recommendations which was refusal due to the application conflicting with the City Plan.

She said the best option was to follow the mayor’s motion to defer the application.

“It would have been very, very sad to see this opportunity for our city missed. It’s a world quality application and project,” Cr Gates said.

3.37PM

SOUTHPORT Councillor Dawn Crichlow is being applauded by residents after saying council must refuse the Mariner’s Cove application.

“Forget this one, Mr Mayor. It is a three-storey height limit,” she said.

“This will end up a fiasco. The officers have a great report. Why can’t we accept the officer’s recommendation today and not support the application.”

3.25PM

THE fate of the Mariner’s Cove project may not be known for 12 months.

Mayor Tom Tate was asked for a time frame by Councillor William Owen-Jones after pushing to defer a decision on the project.

Councillor Tate said the council need to “flush out” the Government’s position on The Spit.

“If if takes a further 12 months so be it. We really want to know what the State Government is doing,” he said.

Councillors are in debate and yet to vote on the motion by Councillor Tate.

3.15PM

MAYOR Tom Tate wants councillors to defer a decision on the Mariner’s Cove development.

He has put forward the motion, arguing that council with the State Government needs to address “land use, density, height and other planning matters” on The Spit.

Planning committee chairman Cameron Caldwell has supported the motion.

3.11PM

FIVE city councillors have declared a perceived conflict of interest before debate starts on the Mariner’s Cove application.

They are Deputy Mayor Donna Gates, William Owen-Jones, Glenn Tozer, Peter Young and Kristyn Boulton.

All of the councillors have decided they had considered that perceived conflict and could stay in the council chamber and vote.

Councillors Gates and Owen-Jones received donations from Sunland for their re-election campaign, Cr Tozer had a role as a voluntary chair of an organisation where the company made a donation.

Councillor Young said he had only become aware that GECKO of which he was a life member had made a submission on the planning application.

Councillor Boulton said she had employed Shac Communications during the election and they had Sunland as one of their clients.

She said her only meeting with Sunland representatives was on July 6 as a councillor when she received a presentation from the group.

2.48PM

CIRCUSES with exotic caged animals will not longer be welcome on Gold Coast Council land.

Councillors overwhelmingly voted to enforce a ban on all circuses with exotic animals being held on council-controlled land.

Circuses will animals will still be able to be held on state, federal and private land.

Mayor Tom Tate and councillors William Owen-Jones, Dawn Crichlow, Donna Gates and Tom Tate all voted against the ban.

Cr Bob La Castra. Photo: Jerad Williams
Cr Bob La Castra. Photo: Jerad Williams

Councillor Bob La Castra spoke for ten minutes about why the ban should be enforced, saying the animals were locked in cages for 23 hours a day and only let out to perform.

“We need to speak for those without a voice,” he said.

Cr Crichlow said the ban was a joke and that those animals who were caged slept 20 hours a day.

“They love their animals,” she said.

Cr Crichlow even held up a photo of her head in a lion’s head taken the last time a circus visited the Gold Coast.

2.35PM

RESIDENTS packed in the gallery at council for the Mariner’s Cove development are in for a long afternoon. They may fall asleep like lions.

After a debate about upgrading the Sundale Bridge, residents have had to listen to a debate about the caged circus animals on council land.

Councillor Bob La Castra, who spoke for ten minutes, told councillors “it is cruel, it is wrong”.

But veteran Southport city councillor said a circus should be allowed on council land where officers could monitor the treatment of animals.

“They’re not cruel to their animals. They love their animals,” she said.

“Lions sleep for 20 hours a day. They’re very lazy animals. Has anyone mentioned that.”

Cr Crichlow showed an picture of herself being kissed by a lion.

“Is that a wild animal, no,” she said.

2.15pm

COUNCILLORS have overwhelmingly supported a move by Mayor Tom Tate to look at options to upgrade the Sundale Bridge.

Only councillors Daphne McDonald and Peter Young abstained from voting. Cr Dawn Crichlow was the only councillor who voted against the motion.

Cr McDonald had voiced concerns about whether council or the government would pay for any upgrade.

Chief Executive Officer Dale Dickson advised councillors that it was a “sensible” option to investigate an extra lane on the bridge to help traffic exit from The Spit.

2PM

MAYOR Tom Tate and council officers are unable to give a cost for the upgrade of the Sundale bridge.

Veteran councillor Daphne McDonald asked for costings during debate at council after a presentation on the bridge.

Councillor Tate admitted the initial costing for the Chevron pedestrian bridge was $34 million.

Area councillor Dawn Crichlow said it was the wrong move to add a northbound lane

She said the only reason the bridge upgrade was being discussed was because council had to discuss the Mariner’s Cove development.

“The third lane should be sound bound. It just needs painting,” she said.

“If you think they (the State Government) will put any more money into it, they won’t. They won’t even paint it.”

1.30PM

COUNCILLORS are to receive a briefing on how to improve the Sundale bridge before they vote on Sunland’s Mariner’s Cove project.

City Infrastructure Director Alton Twine started the special presentation at 1.30pm.

Adding an extra lane to the bridge is regarded as a key to councillors supporting the twin towers project due to the traffic congestion it would create. It could cost at least $10 million.

Mayor Tom Tate immediately in announcing the presentation faced opposition from area councillor Dawn Crichlow.

The councillors were told the extra lane would be ready to go after the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Cr Crichlow said council owned the bridge and Main Roads had the responsibility of maintenance.

Councillor Tate told her a decision to add an additional lane was not in the scope of works by Main Roads.

“They are not going to come in and add an additional lane for us,” he said.

Cr Crichlow told the Mayor: “And we shouldn’t do it for them either.”

1PM: ABOUT 100 protesters have held a peaceful rally outside the Gold Coast Council’s chambers ahead of today’s meeting to decide the future of the Spit.

Protestors, a majority aged over 60, held placards and waved signed at those trying to enter chambers.

Four police officers watched on as the protesters listened to speeches from Main Beach Association president David Hutley and Save Our Broadwater spokeswoman Judy Spence.

Mr Hutley vowed to continue the fight against the controversial Sunland development at Mariners Cove.

Ms Spence said a survey conducted by their group had found almost 60 per cent of those surveyed were against high rises on the Spit.

Mr Hutley and Ms Spence were both applauded enthusiastically after their speeches.

Councillors have taken their seats at the meeting while a packed public gallery.

The meeting is also being live streamed into the foyer of council chambers for those unable to fit in the public gallery.

12.40PM: PEOPLE protesting against the proposed Mariner Cove development at The Spit are making their feeling known at the Gold Coast City Council chambers ahead of today’s meeting.

The meeting of the full council is due to being at 1pm.

It is likely the debate on the development proposal will begin about 1.30pm.

EARLIER: THE Sunland Mariner’s Cove project will add an extra 10 per cent to the peak weekend load of traffic along The Spit, according to a confidential report.

The Gold Coast Bulletin, on the eve of today’s council vote on the $600 million development, has obtained an internal council traffic assessment.

The study by officers predicts that traffic, when development of the area is considered under the City Plan, will grow by 10 per cent by 2031.

“Mariner’s Cove is expected to add an extra 10 per cent — 250 vehicles per hour — to peak weekend traffic on Waterways Drive,” the report said.

The report found that the Waterways Drive-Gold Coast Highway intersection is “currently congested and development traffic will make it worse”.

The future of planning at The Spit will be determined by council’s decision today on the high rise Mariner’s Cove project. Picture Mike Batterham
The future of planning at The Spit will be determined by council’s decision today on the high rise Mariner’s Cove project. Picture Mike Batterham

An upgrade of the road is currently not on the 10-year road network investment plan.

The council’s planning committee earlier this week voted 4-3 to defer a vote until today’s full council meeting.

Those councillors in favour of the development are seeking traffic solutions.

The council is divided with many councillors opting to back a report by officers who offered several reasons, including the traffic, on why the application needs to be refused.

The meeting begins at 1pm with the Bulletin providing online live coverage. A protest rally is planned outside the Evandale chamber at 12.30pm.

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Original URL: https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/council/internal-gold-coast-council-report-warns-of-congestion-problems-as-councillors-meet-to-vote-on-mariners-cove/news-story/ce8e0a903598017c572f987529460b90