Developers set to swoop on Mal Burke car park after Gold Coast City Council puts on the market

IT is one of the major public car parks on the Gold Coast but the council is selling it off in a bid to help fund the Evandale Cultural Precinct.

Mal Burke Carpark on Hinze Street, Southport which the Gold Coast City Council is selling.

SOUTHPORT’S largest public carpark is on the market and could fetch more than $10 million.

The Gold Coast City Council has put the Mal Burke Carpark on the market as part of its bid to make more than $37 million to fund the first stage of the Evandale cultural precinct.

It is expected to be redeveloped to come a mixed-use high-rise, with several floors of commercial offices for the area’s legal precinct as well as residential units.

The sale of the land will be conducted by Colliers and expressions of interest will close at noon on November 6.

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Property experts believe the land is prime for redevelopment and could reach at least $10 million.

It is one of two major Southport sites on the market as well as the former Gold Coast Hospital.

Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow said the land’s buyer would be required to build a new public carpark on the site as part of its eventual development.

The car park, across from Southport courthouse, is often full most days and provides much-needed public parking.

“It is our belief that a minimum of 200 carparks go back to the city as part of this project and anything less would be a problem,” she said.

“This land has been eyed off for about 20 years and previously people wanted to build a Family Court and an expansion of the TAFE there.

“Whoever buys it is going to get a really good deal and I reckon we will get a mixed use development or maybe even a State Government department.”

The carpark is one of 25 properties city hall is putting on the auction block to fund the cultural precinct.

Construction of the precinct is expected to begin in early 2015.

The sale of the carpark has been backed by local business leaders.

However, Southport Chamber of Commerce president Laird Marshall urged the council to place conditions on the land’s sale in a bid to force the development to go ahead.

“Businesses do not want to see this land go undeveloped like the Jewel site in Surfers Paradise because land banking will not do us any good here,” he said.

“Council must put conditions on the project to make sure that construction begins within a year of its sale.”