Gold Coast development: New tower for Labrador as UDIA warns of urgent housing crisis

Gold Coasters have been warned there is ‘no silver bullet’ to solving growing pressure on the city’s housing as the population continues to dramatically increase. The warning came as plans for a new tower overlooking the Broadwater were unveiled.

GOLD Coasters have been warned there is “no silver bullet” to solving growing pressures on the city’s housing as the population continues to dramatically increase.

The boss of the state’s development industry peak body has called on city leaders to make decisions on the future of the City Plan and which areas must be targeted for increased density.

In late 2019, the council launched a series of proposed amendments to the City Plan to try to address projected population growth. Labrador, Southport and Biggera Waters were among those targeted as high-density development options.

But these were put under review after a backlash from residents.

A population cap has been ruled out as impossible while the state government has set growth targets of 158,900 new dwellings by 2041.

The issue will finally be dealt with by council again in 2021.

UDIA chief executive Kirsty Chessher-Brown. Picture: Richard Gosling

Urban Development Institution of Australia Queensland CEO Kirsty Chessher-Brown said tough discussions about how to solve the issue needed to be fast-tracked.

“We need to keep having this conversation about growth,” she said. “Whether it is more apartment buildings or a more diverse type of housing such as terrace and town houses, all of those things will be in the mix and this will become really important over the next 12 months.

Artist impression of a proposed nine story tower planned for Marine Parade Labrador. Put forward by The Chin SY Family Trust

“There is no one silver bullet for the housing targets set by the state government.”

The Gold Coast’s population according to pre-COVID modelling, is expected to hit one million people by 2041.

A recent council development activity report showed the development industry – the Gold Coast’s second biggest sector – has seen a significant turnaround in the third quarter of the year.

According to the report, year-on-year, activity is up 11.7 per cent with 1184 development applications received from July to September.

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Developers are more focused on smaller boutique towers than giant supertowers.

More importantly, building applications are up 8.3 per cent while plumbing applications – the precursor to actual construction beginning – are up 22.5 per cent year on year.

It comes as a developer puts forward plans to transform a waterfront site on the Broadwater and build a new nine-storey tower.

The UDIA’s state CEO says there is no “silver bullet” to solving where to house the city’s growing population.

The Chin SY Family Trust has filed plans for a luxury unit building at Labrador’s Marine Pde which would replace an ageing three-storey block of flats.

The tower will have just 14 units, and 37 bedrooms with a basement carpark.