Light rail’s green light on development as Main Beach beachfront tower approved

TWO of the Gold Coast’s most senior councillors say it is now ‘open slather’ for supertowers along the entire light rail track after the approval of a Main Beach highrise

TWO of the Gold Coast’s most senior councillors say it is now open slather for super towers along the entire light rail track after the approval of a Main Beach highrise yesterday.

Both Gary Baildon and Dawn Crichlow were furious as they left the council chamber after their colleagues green-lighted a 20-level beachfront apartment building in a medium-density zone.

Nine councillors voted for the project, to be developed by Hapsberg on 1261sq m site on Main Beach Parade. Five opposed it. Deputy Mayor Donna Gates did not vote due to a perceived conflict of interest.

BAILDON: HOW COUNCIL GOT IT WRONG

Councillor Gary Baildon at council. Photo: David Clark

The move forced Mayor Tom Tate to make public that council is working through amendments to the City Plan, following community feedback since its introduction in February 2016.

The plan was always designed as a “living document” with amendments, waiting on State Government approval, to reflect changing community views.

But Cr Crichlow says the Main Beach development approval has set a precedent as a majority of councillors regard the “light rail urban renewal map” to have more importance than the existing medium-density zone.

“It’s open slather (for development) if you live 800 metres away from light rail,” Cr Crichlow told the Gold Coast Bulletin. “It’s an absolute joke.”

The impact of light rail on development in the Main Beach area

In planning decisions, councillors consider several overlay maps on a development site, ranging from heritage to environment, flooding and density. However, light rail in this development was given more weight.

Cr Baildon believes using the light rail map to thwart density overlay was an incorrect interpretation of its status.

“If the light rail overlay trumps all other provisions, then why have a City Plan anywhere within cooee of the light rail corridor?” he told councillors before the vote.

“How wide is this light rail corridor anyway? It is not defined in the City Plan and appears to be applied inconsistently and when convenient to boost density to suit certain developments.”

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The original 49-level tower proposed for the Main Beach beachfront.

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Cr Baildon said the current light rail overlay map included only part of Main Beach and excluded Budds Beach.

“If a 750-to-800m radius from the light rail tracks is the catchment area for sites where density can be significantly increased — then all of Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach, Miami, Burleigh Heads, Palm Beach, Currumbin, Tugun, Bilinga, Kirra and Coolangatta, yes, all the coastal strip — right through to the beach will be up for grabs.”

“This application, if approved, has the hallmarks of a precedent that will have knock on effects for much of the coastal strip.”

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Cr Baildon fears the council has “shot itself in the foot” and the planning decision means it will be “condemned by future generations”.

Cr Caldwell does not like the development but argued it was acceptable under the City Plan and believes a compromise could be reached.

“I believe that we can deliver first-class public transport through light rail without diminishing the lifestyle and character of our coastal strip that we all value so highly,” he said.

Several council sources said the State Government asked council during the 2016 City Plan to show why areas within 800m of a light rail station should not have a higher level of density.

The council responded by saying it wanted to protect some areas that had a unique neighbourhood character.

Councillors voted on the tower yesterday. Picture: Richard Gosling

“The lesson for councillors (in council divisions) on light rail is to make sure what is in and what is out (in terms of high density),” a council source said.

The four councillors who voted against the Hapsberg development were Cr Crichlow, Cr Baildon, Peter Young, Paul Taylor and Daphne McDonald.

Mayor Tate supported the application after councillor planning chair Cameron Caldwell and Hermann Vorster spoke in favour. Others supporting included Bob La Castra, Pauline Young, Gail O’Neill, Glenn Tozer, Kristyn Boulton and William Owen-Jones. The Helensvale-based councillor was the only other to speak, saying it was not possible to lawfully change conditions to reduce density on the site.