Community leaders want inquiry into council ‘firesale” of Surfers bowls club land

Deputy Premier and Local Government Minister Steven Miles will be asked to review council’s controversial sale of its land parcel at the Surfers Paradise Bowls Club.

Deputy Premier and Local Government Minister Steven Miles will be asked to review council’s controversial sale of its land parcel at the Surfers Paradise Bowls Club.

Former councillor and experienced real estate agent Eddy Sarroff has written to Mr Miles asking for a review and a meeting. He is supported by the Community Alliance.

The Bulletin in a report last month revealed the 1833sqm site, advertised as among the best development opportunities, was expected to fetch at least $5m but council received $1.785m.

Mr Sarroff wrote to councillors and City CEO Tim Baker after claiming “heads should roll over this fire sale”.

The council-owned land on the Surfers Paradise Bowls Club site which has been sold.

He said the council land was sold for one sixth of the rate Tom Tate expected to achieve for the Mayor’s consortium’s larger remaining bowls lots on the club site.

Mr Tate during conflict of interest declarations before leaving a full council meeting last month revealed he was close to finalising a $30m sale with his business partner.

Mr Sarroff confirmed he had written to Mr Miles but declined to release publicly details of his report.

“There’s enormous public unrest on this matter and disbelief that such a prime parcel of land could be disposed of at a fraction of what it is worth,” he said.

Mr Sarroff said he was seeking from council all probity reports and negotiations with tenders regarding the land since 2016.

The former council finance committee chief has spoken at protests by residents from the Surfers Plaza who asked council to save about 150 leased car parks on the City’s land.

“Council has sold at a time when the residents have appealed to council to put the sale on hold,” Mr Sarroff said.

Eddy Sarroff at a protest meeting at Evandale. Picture Glenn Hampson.

Mr Tate has declined to comment further but Mr Baker said he had written to Mr Sarroff explaining that the decision to sell the land was a matter for council and the tender process, and sale was executed as per their resolution.

“The price achieved was the highest of the tenders received,” Mr Baker said.

In the letter to Mr Sarroff, he said all the advice received from City officers and the independent Probity Advisor accorded with the decision to sell the parcel.

“Importantly, in seeking to achieve the highest price for the site, I approved an extension of the submission date for tenders to seek to ensure we had provided the market and the Surfers Plaza Body Corporate CTS with ample opportunity to respond to the tender,” he said.

Community Alliance leader John Hicks said the council had abrogated its responsibility to Surfers Plaza unit owners by selling the council lot without any long-term parking solution.

The prime location for the Surfers Paradise Bowls Club site land owned and sold by the council.

“This is a long-running saga with at least a 10 year history. The council should have held onto the site as a guarantee for provision of Surfers Plaza car parks in whatever development eventuates,” Mr Hicks said.

“Community Alliance is also concerned with the lack of transparency and public explanation around these dealings. In the interest of transparency and accountability Community Alliance supports calls for these issues to be reviewed and for the findings to be reported publicly.”

The Minister’s office told Mr Sarroff his request was being considered but Mr Miles had not responded to a request by the Bulletin to comment by deadline.

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