Oxford on Southport: Queen St development site home to brazen vagrants who live in $1.5m Gold Coast squat house on a main road
IT was meant to be the site of twin luxury towers but instead this $1.5 million derelict Gold Coast house is home to vagrants brazenly walking in and out of this dilapidated weatherboard apartment. And nearby residents are terrified. SEE INSIDE
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A DEVELOPER faces fines of up to $2.9 million unless it cleans up a derelict site in the centre of Southport.
The Queen Street property is owned by PSR Southport MP Investment Pty Ltd which had planned to build a 324 units, retail space, a childcare centre and a lap pool across two towers.
The Gold Coast Bulletin today revealed that despite gaining approval more than two years ago, the old weatherboard house, bought for $1.5 million, the dilapidated weatherboard home is now frequented by vagrants.
Under the Planning Act 2016, if convicted by a court for contravening an enforcement notice there is currently a maximum penalty of $2.9 million.
The Council can also issue penalty infringement notices up to $13,055.00
Deputy Mayor Donna Gates confirmed an enforcement notice was issued to the developer last month and was being pursued by council staff.
“We continue to put as much pressure as possible on the owners to tidy up their properties,” she said.
“We can issue derelict notices if it is an extreme case and that will be the next step after the show cause notice.”
The Southport Chamber of Commerce president has called for the introduction of a council requirement that developers must knock down buildings on sites earmarked for development rather than allow them to become decrepit.
Earlier today the Bulletin revealed kicked in walls, smashed windows and graffiti tag murals — welcome to the Gold Coast’s $1.5 million hell home.
Vagrants have been spotted regularly walking in and out of the dilapidated weatherboard home located near flash multimillion-dollar developments in the heart of Southport’s CBD.
The group of illegal residents who call the site home barely make any effort to disguise the vandalised main road squat, which is festooned with rubbish clearly visible from its prominent location on the corner of Queen and Scarborough St.
The area is due become home to a trendy high-rise called Oxford on Southport which “represents an exciting opportunity to contribute to the gentrification of Southport as a world-class CBD environment”, according to a development application accepted by council in June 2016.
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Property searches reveal PSR Southport MP Investment Pty Ltd paid $1.5 million for the site in July 2016.
The application for the first of two potential towers was submitted to the council just three days before Christmas 2015, which boasted plans for 324 units, retail space, a childcare centre and a lap pool.
But neighbours live in fear, according to Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow, who has called for the squatters to be moved on and the building to be demolished.
Southport Chamber of Commerce president Laird Marshall also weighed in to say it should be a council requirement that developers knock down buildings on sites earmarked for development rather than allow them to become decrepit.
Cr Crichlow was furious to learn nearby disabled residents were afraid to leave their homes for fear of the vagrants. She said she has written to the site’s owners — PSR Southport MP Investment Pty Ltd — multiple times without receiving a response.
“It’s dangerous, they’ve knocked out all the windows, if it goes up in smoke it will affect the people living in the area because it’s riddled with asbestos,” Cr Crichlow said.
She said the building was risk of becoming the latest ageing home in the city's CBD to burn down because of squatters this year.
“(Neighbours) are scared — they don’t know if the place is going to burn down like a few other places in Southport,” she said.
Cr Crichlow said it was “disgusting” that she had not received a response from the company, which lists Wollongong NSW as its postcode.
“I’m disgusted with people like that, it won’t affect their breathing if the house goes up in fire — it’s been a year since I started writing,” Cr Crichlow said.
She said the council had issued show cause notices asking the building’s owners why they should not be penalised but the process was taking too long.
“Now how much more can I do when council has put out a show cause notice? It’s going so damn slowly,” Cr Crichlow said.
“At the last letter I thought I would at least get the decency of a reply but I haven’t got that.
“I’ve got a lady who came to me who was living nearby with a very reasonable rent for about four years and it has got to the point her nerves are so bad she can’t go out of a night time because of those people living in that house.”
Cr Crichlow urged the building’s owners to demolish the structure. “At least they should keep it tidy,” she said.
Mr Marshall said the area around Queen St had been home to a transient population for decades and developers should do more to look after empty sites.
“Developers should be forced to bulldoze unused sites within three months of approval,” Mr Marshall said.
“They could put signs advertising the development up or plant a facade of trees — it’s not rocket science or Trump v Putin.”
The Bulletin made a number of attempts to contact the developer’s town planner without success.
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