Council approves townhouse development for Mermaid Beach

The council has backed a townhouse development at a Gold Coast luxury beachside suburb but locals aren’t impressed. Here’s why.

Developers are targeting Mermaid Beach.

A TOWNHOUSE development in a luxury beachside suburb that divided the community because of increased height limits has been approved by the Gold Coast City Council

The application made under the superseded City Plan in 2011 was for three apartments across four storeys on a 527sq m site in Arthur Street, Mermaid Beach. Three levels had been the norm previously.

The site of the proposed Mermaid Beach townhouse development.

The council received 283 objections to the Ellis Development Qld Pty Ltd development. Residents were concerned about the project’s building height being in excess of the planning scheme requirements.

They felt the proposal would detract from the existing visual amenity and affect privacy and bring less sunlight and views. The townhouses would create a “bulky building” and increase demands on on-street parking.

During the assessment period, minor changes were made to the design of the building “changing the fourth floor from the upper storey of apartment three to an open terrace and roofed lift, stairwell, storage area”.

“This included the removal of the previously proposed pool on the fourth storey,” the council report said.

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Townhouse development planned in Arthur Street at Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast.

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Officers recommended approval and concluded the application fitted the requirements under the 2003 City Plan scheme, which was amended in 2011.

The site was located within a “residential choice domain” where development was promoted to provide a range of housing choice. The overall height of the building would be 13.3m.

The council report said more than 100 submissions supported the project and recognised “the area is growing and that more people living in the area would enhance the services provided to the area”.

Townhouse development proposed for Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast.

“Assessment of the building height and design has concluded the proposed building height is in keeping with the predominant residential character of the surrounding area and will not result in the significant loss of visual amenity,” the council planning report said.

Councillors backed the report recommendations at full council where it was not debated after discussion and approval at the planning committee.