Green behind gold: First look at Gold Coast’s new suburb Pacific View Estate at Worongary
A first look at detailed plans for a new suburb on the Gold Coast reveals it has a surprising feature despite containing housing on tiny lots. SEE THE PLANS
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A FIRST look at the Gold Coast’s new suburb shows it promises to be much greener than its closest neighbours, despite housing on tiny lots.
Councillors approved the Pacific View Estate at Worongary at Tuesday’s full council meeting, but not before some voiced planning concerns.
Robina-based councillor Hermann Vorster and Deputy Mayor Donna Gates sought assurances the streets were wide enough that cars could pass where vehicles had been parked on the kerb.
Their big fears appeared to be about repeating mistakes that occurred at Varsity Lakes where traffic congestion and lack of carparking continues to cause problems.
Officers confirmed there would be facilities like public toilets in the new village green area near some of the highest density housing at the Worongary development.
Officers acknowledged some of the housing would be on 185sq m blocks but near parkland.
Hinterland-based councillor Peter Young said his preference was the “well vegetated site” could have been obtained by council as part of the “green heart” but the State Government had refused to support it.
“Spiny Bob, the former owner, would be rolling in his grave to see this I think,” Cr Young said, before asking questions about the new suburb’s ecological corridor.
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The graphics provided in a report to council reveal an ecological corridor through the middle of the suburb with a lake. Townhouse-style living would be in tree-lined streets.
Mudgeeraba-based councillor Glenn Tozer told the Bulletin the Government had delivered certainty to the applicant around road reserves and the ecological corridor.
“I am confident the master planning of the whole site together will result in better outcomes than we have attained in other areas of the city where multiple developers compete for profit as they seek to minimise their obligations,” he said.
“On this occasion the holistic view will deliver a better overall community outcome.”
The report to council shows the $3.2 billion development at Hinkler Drive between Nerang and Mudgeeraba covers 334 hectares and will occur across six stages in a “10 to 20-year time frame” providing for 10,000 residents.
The project has been delayed in the planning processes after a Western Australian-based consortium first bought the large parcel of land from reclusive millionaire Bob Anthes who died in 2004.
The applicant asked for the project to be “called in” and the Palaszczuk Government in March 2015 gave approval subject to more than 50 conditions.
The Perth-based Perron Group now expect start earthworks early in 2021 with a public launch of the project planned in the New Year.
Mudgeeraba LNP MP Ros Bates said the decision to approve the massive development was “a long time coming”.
“After almost a decade of no progress on Pacific Views by council the LNP called in the development in 2014. The call-in was a statutory process that could not be reversed under an incoming Labor Government,” Ms Bates said.
“I worked hard with the former Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney to progress this development including doorknocking affected residents, working with TMR for future road improvements and consulting with other local businesses to reduce impacts on them.”
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