Inside story: Why the City is rejecting housing plans at Arundel Country Club
A development application which will add 380 houses and 1200 people at a Gold Coast golf course has been discussed at council. Read what they said.
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City planners are recommending refusal of a development application which will add 380 houses and 1200 people at Arundel Country Club. There’s a much bigger story here.
It’s about whether golf courses should be developed to ease the housing crisis – or is the priority preserving sporting and recreational space and protecting the environment.
Richard Holliday, on my Facebook page, sees a precedent being set given the city has about 35 golf courses. His concern is the lack of housing land and rising homelessness.
“Change is difficult and we all need to make some sacrifices otherwise it may be our very children, close family or friends who are denied the opportunity to live close to loved ones and friends on the Gold Coast,” he wrote.
So why, when this development application goes to council on Monday, is it facing rejection?
The development would see the loss of more than 67ha of sporting land. Officers know the City in the fast growing north is falling behind in providing recreational space.
About 77,800 sqm of vegetation will also be lost, including 1150 non-juvenile koala habitat trees.
Waterways will be filled in. Residents in their submissions warned about this.
The City officer report talks about eastern grey kangaroos, and a critically endangered eastern curlew being sighted. Koalas make up for at least 138 recorded sightings.
Consider the country club location and it all makes sense. This is very close to Napper Road.
Nearby is the rail and tram link, and the future Coomera Connector.
Reports on those projects highlighted how this location is a super highway for endangered animals crossing west to east from the Coombabah Wetlands and back again.
A final key reason is the quality of submissions from the residents.
None of the 1163 objections in support were pro-forma. Of the 119 in support, 110 were pro-forma, backing nearby AB Patterson College getting extra space from the development.
Council officers and the councillors are putting a high priority on individual objections.
Community groups need to listen up. Put together a pro-forma letter, get it signed by hundreds of protesters – council does not see an approval causing such a huge political storm ahead.
Another smart move was the Arundel Hills Golf Course Community Reference group, led by committee member Jason Young, not going to war with the council.
They submitted a 90-page technical planning letter from lawyers. But they also did the hard yards, by doorknocking to get personal experiences from residents.
“We have architects and engineers living on the estate who put in the most amazing objections,” Mr Young told your columnist.
But the wider issue, raised by Richard Holliday, needs to be discussed – at the 19th hole.
Look at new research. Population projections under the draft South East Regional Plan update show the Coast has been allocated an increase of 381,200 residents between 2021 and 2046.
This represents a total resident population of 1,015,000. An additional 158,100 dwellings will be needed taking the total to 429,500.
Where is the city going to find that open space?
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