"Shut out" locals urged to sign petition for State probe of Gold Coast City Council's City Plan community engagement process
Locals are calling for a State Government inquiry into whether the council properly consulted the public over proposed changes to the City Plan. LAST CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY:
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TODAY is the last day Gold Coasters who want “their rightful say on the way the city develops” can sign a petition demanding City Plan amendments are not signed off on until there's been an investigation into council’s community engagement process.
Labrador’s Jenna Schroeder’s e-petition wants the state government to "investigate the appropriateness of the level of community engagement undertaken by the Gold Coast City Council before signing off on the City Plan amendments".
"The State Planning Policy and Queensland Government's Community Engagement Toolkit makes clear the level of community engagement required when proposing changes in zoning and increases in density should 'involve' (work directly with the public throughout the process) or 'collaborate' (partner with the public in each aspect of the decision).
"This e-petition proposes the Minister investigate whether the City of Gold Coast has correctly and thoroughly engaged residents in the proposed amendments.
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“We believe the council has failed to have regard for state guidelines for community engagement, having used the lesser ‘consult’ level as opposed to ‘involve’ or ‘collaborate’."
Ms Schroeder said the council did not satisfy the government’s guidelines on growth areas in regards to high frequency public transport, employment rates and opportunities when targeting Biggera Waters, Labrador and parts of Southport.
“There is no evidence why these suburbs have been chosen,” she said.
Wayne Purcell for Better Planning Gold Coast urged locals who wanted to “have their rightful say on the way our city develops” to sign the petition "because, who knows what’s coming next”.
“According to the rules, the proposed changes to the City Plan should have meant residents were involved in the process.
“According to the rules, the community should have been involved in developing the Conservation Management Plan for the Old Burleigh Theatre Arcade.
“Instead, we had council working it out among themselves and developers with the community only allowed in as a final hurdle.
“Meanwhile, residents and even most councillors were shut-out of the process that approved the development on the site of Cafe D’Bar.
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“If you want to see better engagement and government listening to residents, please sign the petition and encourage others to do so
“While it’s specific to the engagement with the City Plan changes, it potentially impacts much more than that.
“The petition lets those in charge know that residents want the rules established in the Community Engagement Toolkit be enforced.
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“It lets them know residents want due process to be followed. Because, who knows what’s coming next.”
Here is a link to the petition.
Submissions close on May 23 and it will be tabled at parliament this week.
City Plan debacle sparks call for investigation
April 8, 2021
A GOLD Coast campaigner wants the council to be investigated for its roll out of the City Plan changes and has vowed to fight harder for further cuts to population targets in her neighbourhood.
Labrador’s Jenna Schroeder has launched a petition asking for the state government to look into whether the Gold Coast City Council “correctly and thoroughly engaged residents in the proposed amendment” of the plan.
Endorsed by Bonney MP MP Sam O’Connor, the petition says the council did not satisfy the government’s guidelines on growth areas in regards to high frequency public transport, employment rates and opportunities when targeting Biggera Waters, Labrador and parts of Southport.
In February, councillors unanimously approved slashing growth targets in those three suburbs by 41 per cent. Under the plan, both Biggera Waters and Labrador would each have had a population of more than 16,000. The figure was set to help meet the state government’s Shaping SEQ plan of accommodating an extra 158,000 dwellings on the Coast by 2041.
To make this happen, the council plans to change the zoning to allow higher-density in the targeted growth areas, meaning houses may be replaced by duplexes, townhouses or multistorey apartments without the need for public consultation.
Ms Schroeder says councillors did not go far enough in reducing growth targets in her area and has urged residents to have their say before submissions close on Thursday, April 8.
“There’s a lot of us trying to raise awareness,” she said.
“Another resident set up all weekend at Chirn Park and some have helped up to 15 neighbours with their submissions.
“Something I keep thinking is that councillors are fighting to maintain the village feel of Chirn Park and Paradise Point. Why can’t that be created for Labrador with smart development, rather than packing us in like sardines to save other areas?
“It took driving around with planners pointing out blocks to them to see these mistakes, as well as previous submissions from community.”
Mrs Schroeder has set up a website, Labrador 4215, that has a map showing exactly how each property may be affected by the council’s rezoning.
“There’s a lot of us trying to raise awareness, another resident set up all weekend at Chirn park and some have helped up to 15 neighbours with their submissions.”
Wayne Purcell, of Better Planning Gold Coast, said the scale of the proposed changes were “unprecedented” and could see the population in the area more than quadruple.
“More than 2500 houses in low-density areas are having their zoning changed,” he said.
“The changes have the potential for no houses to remain in Labrador and Biggera Waters. All parcels of land could potentially be redeveloped.
“Realisation of the proposed changes on the ground won’t happen overnight. It could take years, but these changes lock it in.”
After last year’s election, new councillors Brooke Patterson and Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden raised in council what they saw as major issues with the proposed height and density of the targeted growth areas and called for a review.
The councillors drove senior planning officers around the affected streets, pointing out the many concerns residents had raised in submissions.
“It was following this that the significant reduction in heights for many streets in the TGA were unanimously supported in council,” Cr Patterson said.
Submissions can be made at gchaveyoursay.com.au/ourcityourplan or via cityplansubmissions@goldcoast.qld.gov.au. For help call 1300 151 267.
Coast suburb ‘in the dark’ about City Plan
August 13, 2020
RESIDENTS of a Gold Coast suburb say they are being “left in the dark” about contentious changes to the City Plan and are scared “six months of silence” from council will end with bulldozers in their backyards.
Labrador homeowners are demanding councillors and bureaucrats tell them exactly what is going on with proposed height and density changes as the city looks to cater for an extra 350,000 people by 2041.
Late last year the council nominated Southport’s west, Labrador and Biggera Waters, as future development hot spots, giving power to increase building height restrictions.
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Hundreds of people attended community consultation meetings to learn more about the forecast changes and later made submissions.
Resident Jenna Schroder said she wanted to know the reason for “six months of silence since the second round of consultation” and why the plan was going back to councillors without any notice to the community of changes or results from the second round.
“Hundreds of us have given feedback as part of the consultation process but we feel we’re being left in the dark on where the City Plan is at,” she said.
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It comes as a council insider told the Bulletin that “we will see some unexpected changes (to the City Plan amendments)” at next week’s planning committee meeting: “There will be blood on the streets, with the expectation of the community, three times ratified and now not going ahead.”
Mrs Schroder said Labrador appealed to Gold Coasters who wanted a backyard for their children in a place within walking distance of the water.
“We are not anti-development. It would be really nice to have cafes near the water, but we don’t want this suburb packed with high-rises,” she said. “Councillors are fighting to maintain the village feel of Chirn Park and Paradise Point. Why can’t that be created for Labrador with smart development, rather than packing us in like sardines to save other areas?”
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Mrs Schroder is fighting to ensure medium-to-high density development only occurs east of Muir St.
Southport local Wayne Purcell said apartment buildings along the coastal strip were “synonymous with the Gold Coast” but there was “value in pursuing different development outcomes for our suburbs in recognition of their distinct characteristics”.
“If there is no discernible difference with buildings between our coastline suburbs, and history and heritage is not preserved, then it’s difficult to see how there would be a soul to the areas.”
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Mr Purcell wants a return to local area plans, or neighbourhood plans, to help ensure local characteristics and community aspirations are taken into consideration.
Mrs Schroder has called on Division 7 councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden to update all homes in the targeted growth areas on proposed changes.
Cr Bayldon-Lumsden said, after the first round of community consultation on the City Plan last year, there was a number of changes made resulting in Major Amendments 2 and 3.
“These amendments, although a good start, didn’t address the more serious concerns the residents and I had,” he said.
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“In particular, though not exclusively, the dramatic height increase between Frank St and Turpin Rd and the nature of developments in the strip between Muir St and Turpin Rd.
“There was also no certainty around the retention of the character of Labrador and Chirn Park.”
He said he expressed his concerns on the amendments to fellow councillors, the planning committee team and its chairman, and recently met with council’s CEO Dale Dickson.
Cr Bayldon-Lumsden said he strongly supported locals’ view that they could accommodate some development, “but not at the cost of a community”.
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