Nicolle Archer: Why campaigner wants to have lunch with Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate

A community activist who calls herself a professional pot-stirrer says she’s determined to sit down for lunch with Mayor Tom Tate, with one item high on the agenda.

Nicolle Archer - Gold Coast resident, business owner, community activist, mum and self-confessed pot-stirrer. Photo: Scott Powick.

NICOLLE Archer is dreaming of a date with Tom Tate.

Sure, she might have already made headlines last year when she was pictured blowing a kiss to the city’s Mayor … but now she wants to take it to the next level.

And while her strange desire is sure to raise some eyebrows, that’s just par for the course for this self-confessed professional pot-stirrer.

With a day job minding other people’s business as a tax agent, in recent years Nicolle has been sticking her nose into the Coast’s most controversial issues – from development to transportation to the environment and town planning.

Now she wants to pitch the one development she believes can save the city – building a bridge between residents, businesses and leaders alike.

“My goal for 2021 is to have lunch with Tom Tate,” says Nicolle.

“There has been too much vitriol from both sides, when what we both want is the best city for its residents.

“I honestly believe that if we could just sit down we could agree on a lot – and we would both learn from the other side.

“We can’t all be councillors – and we definitely don’t all want to be – but there is a feeling that unless you’re in a position of wealth or power than your concerns are ignored. Feeling voiceless and impotent is what is creating community anger.

“The fact that we have such an engaged and passionate population should be seen as a positive – sure it can make decisions more difficult, but it also means those decisions will be better.”

Nicolle Archer says there has been “too much vitriol” in debates about the Gold Coast’s future. Photo: Scott Powick.

However, Nicolle says listening is not always as simple as it sounds.

She says her own efforts to advocate for the cultural protection of the Coast has come in for criticism from some.

Late last year, Nicolle spearheaded a bold alternative plan for the mutli-million redevelopment of the historic old Burleigh Arcade after community criticism of the De-Luxe apartment plans released by Sydney-based developer Weiya Holdings.

Nicolle argued that the 14-storey, 36-unit complex, named for the old cinema that was once housed in the arcade, was not in keeping with the suburb’s character.

OLD BURLEIGH ARCADE SAVED FROM DEMOLITION

While the alternative proposal was still focused around a residential accommodation tower being built on the site and preserving the arcade’s shell, it also included a theatre, art gallery, bar, and dining to “reflect Old Burleigh Theatre Arcade’s past as a place for entertainment and gathering”.

Nicolle says she has not heard back from the developers, nor does she expect to, but the exercise was still worth it as a demonstration of what is possible.

“What we’ve done in creating an alternative design is so unorthodox that I highly doubt the developers will say ‘go for it, ours sucks’,” she laughs.

“Still, when I first started making a noise about the theatre project, someone asked who made me the queen of Burleigh? And I thought, well, fair enough. I need to practice what I preach.

Artist impression of the De-Luxe apartments planned to be built at the Old Burleigh Theatre Arcade.

The alternate design proposed by Nicolle Archer.

“So I set out to ask the community what they want and what they value. I ran my own online poll which had 181 respondents in seven days – which isn’t too shabby.

“Over 91 per cent of people said the proposed Weiya development was out of keeping with their view of Burleigh’s characters, while more than 81 per cent said they would be interested in attending arts and cultural events at the building if it were to include a theatre and/or gallery.

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“What I did was not amazing or terribly difficult and, to me, is exactly what the developers and the council should have done – to ask people what matters to them about their community so they can ensure that culture is enhanced rather than destroyed by new developments.

“I think we can all accept that our population is growing and that we do need more housing, but that’s all the more reason to make sure we build the right housing.

Faces of Gold Coast gallery: Burleigh

VIEW GALLERY

“It’s not just a matter of keeping checks on heights and setbacks but the character and culture of the building – and that means more than the facade. Keeping the theatre facade means nothing without the theatre itself – it’s just an empty show.

“Our proposal included not just a theatre but an art gallery as well as restaurants – this is something that benefits not just the community but the developer. Instead of just units they could create culture as a commodity which means the return on their investment would be dynamic.

“As for residents, it would be somewhere not just to sleep but to live.

“We need to set the bar higher with new developments to ensure they are giving back to the culture, not taking away from it. It takes consultation and conversation and that has to be more than the odd catch-all meeting.

“There is common ground if we take the time to find it.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate meeting Nicolle Archer.

Nicolle says her own journey towards becoming a community advocate began with the fight to save Bundall’s Black Swan Lake.

She says while her passion for her city has not waned, it can be tiring fighting on the frontline.

“I don’t really want to be fighting, I want to be working together finding solutions rather than pointing out problems.

“I think one of the best things we could do would be to bring in Neighbourhood Plans as a way for residents to really contribute and control their own community. This shouldn’t be a one-woman fight or an online fight or even a small group fight.

“Neighbourhood plans would really give us the opportunity to focus on the character and culture of each suburb in a way that the City Plan cannot do.

“There is no room for the minutiae in the City Plan, and that’s the stuff of placemaking. That’s what makes our streets our homes and that should be where residents’ voices can be most clearly heard.

“I think too much of our city planning and culture development has been monolithic – we focus on one big development like a cruise ship terminal or the cableway or one big art centre, versus creating areas of entertainment and arts across the city. When we weave it all together that’s what makes a dynamic city and that’s what neighbourhood plans can create.”

Nicolle says the council shouldn’t be afraid to engage residents, even despite a history of animosity.

“I have been highly critical of Tom Tate but I’m a big enough person to look at him now and respect the fact that in the 2020 field of candidates he was the best person for the job,” she says.

“If I can say that, surely he can listen to what else I have to say.”

One thing is for sure, if Nicolle and Tom ever make that date, there’s no chance they’ll run out of conversation.